By Hadram Hydara
The late Vice President of The Gambia, Badara Alieu Joof, who passed away after a brief illness on January 17, 2023, in India, has been posthumously honoured with the Heroes Award Iconic for his enduring and honourable legacy.
In 2022, Joof became the fourth Vice President to serve under Barrow following the latter’s landmark win over former President Yahya Jammeh in 2016. He had previously served as the Minister of Education from 2017 to 2022.
The late vice president also previously served in the civil service and subsequently worked at the World Bank as an Education Specialist for West and Central Africa.
Speaking to The Fatu Network, Awa Badara Joof, the daughter of the late vice president, expressed gratitude to the award committee for acknowledging and celebrating her father’s legacy as she received the award on his behalf and for the family.
“It was an honour to receive this award in place of my father, and on behalf of my family, I say thank you to Aunty Fatu and [the] team for recognizing him and his life’s work,” Joof said.
The late VP Joof earned praise and respect from Gambians of all political stripes for his dedication to nation-building and his diligent work during his short tenure in office.
Awa expressed gratitude to Gambians for mourning with her family upon her father’s passing and shared her happiness in seeing that Gambians have once again come together with her family to celebrate and honour her father’s legacy by acknowledging his contributions with a posthumous award.
“While it was comforting to know and to see that the nation grieved with my family as we mourned my father’s death, it is deeply heartwarming to know and to see that it also joins us in celebrating his life. This award is a token of the warm regard and esteem that Gambians share with us for my father. My family and I are grateful.”
She stated that her daily mantra is to embrace her late father’s fundamental values and walk the path guided by these principles, as her father always did.
“Personally, I’m reminded of his core values as I forge my own path ahead: honesty, kindness, hard work, patriotism and grace.
“May we become fearless in inculcating them in our everyday lives, and in doing so, may we become icons in our own special ways,” she told The Fatu Network.
Vice President Badara Alie Joof (1958 – January 17, 2023) served from May 4, 2022, until January 17, 2023.
