Editor,

Kindly allow me space in your very reputable medium to pay homage to a true son of The Gambia who departed this life last week in Alhagi Muhammadu Masanneh Ceesay, a prominent Trade Unionist, former Politician and Philanthropist.

Known to his kids as Papa Ceesay, and to his colleagues as Swallow, he used his position as Secretary General of The Gambia Labour Union and contacts in the then Soviet Bloc to educate a lot of Gambians.

Today many a Doctors in our country are a product of the scholarships he allocated. He also prepared many young women for secretarial duties and trained many future Unionist and Journalists, prominent among them his nephews, Mam Sait Ceesay and Pa Modou Faal.

Gento, the only son of the legendary Masanneh Ceesay of Niumi, is also known to have catered and assisted many students from the North Bank in his two homes in Banjul.

Papa Ceesay who is also known to have been one of the most travelled men in Gambian history, never forgot his Niumi roots. Until his death he remained close to his origins in the North Bank. Aljamdu has lost its favourite son indeed! We are sure BB Kebbeh who he worked along with to build the Labour Union stood alongside Pierre Sock and Papa's faithful wife of many decades, the late Ya Bintou, to welcome Papa Ceesay home.

Thank you daddy for being our Dad, thank you for changing so many lives and thank you for Sulayman Masanneh and Kebba Masanneh, they will hold the fort, till we meet again. AMUL LU DUL RAF CHI SUF SI LE, MBAHEL DAL ADI DEKA BE MOS. Ceesay Mandimori, so long Daddy!