By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT
During President Adama Barrow’s 2023 annual meeting with Banjul Muslim Elders on Eid Al Fitr, he revealed that his decision to appoint Muhammed B S Jallow as Vice President was through divine intervention after praying in the Mosque.
President Barrow’s Vice President appointments started with Fatoumatta Jallow Tambajang who galvanised the 2016 Coalition, followed by Ousainou Darboe the Party Leader of the United Democratic Party (UDP) whom the President fell out with in late 2018. This led to the President creating his own National Peoples Party (NPP) which won him a second term in late 2021.
After the first two Vice Presidents and still in his first term, President Barrow appointed Dr Isatou Touray as Vice President and was succeeded by Alieu Badara Joof who eventually passed away while on active duty at the start of the year 2023. Vice President Joof served the tail end of President Barrow’s first term and the first year of his second term.
After the death of Vice President Joof, President Barrow revealed his admiration for him during his funeral gatherings. The President highlighted that he was “praying for God to give us a Vice President like Badara. — We don’t want a Vice President who will be campaigning all the time to take your position, keeping a close eye on your seat. We don’t want that kind of Vice President”.
Speaking to Banjul Muslim Elders on 21st April 2023 President Barrow started by extending greetings to all in attendance starting with Vice President Muhammed B S Jallow. Speaking in the local language of Wollof the President revealed that “the Vice President is a Banjulian who is a committee member of the Banjul Mosque”.
He recalled that Vice President Muhammed Jallow “was my Secretary General until he retired. When he retired, we considered giving him a two-year contract. But the government works according to the law and I am law-abiding. So, we asked what the law says on the matter. We learned that someone who has retired cannot be Secretary-General. You have to be in active service and that is how you can be appointed Secretary-General, that’s why we can’t give him a contract”.
“However, his work [as Secretary General] was very pleasing to us. He was a friend that I worked with and whom I trusted. I called him and informed him that I can’t give you a contract because of the law but I can offer you two positions which you can choose from. You can be the Ambassador of Senegal or the Ambassador of the Senegalo-Gambia Secretariat. He said he wanted to stay in his country and chose to go to the Senegalo-Gambia Secretariat. This is all because of the work he did before leaving his previous office [as the Secretary General]”, said President Barrow.
After taking up the new position at the Senegalo-Gambia Secretariat President Barrow explained how he continued searching for his next Vice President. However, he came to the conclusion that “some things are determined by God. When I was at the Mosque praying, after I performed Kabr God gave me the answer immediately”.
The President went on to explain how he shared his divine revelation with his Chief of Protocol. “After praying and washing my eyes, I was in a haste to tell my Chief of Protocol. As soon as we left for the road, I told him I have a Vice President. He asked who is it? I told him Muhammed Jallow. He asked me how did you decide on this? I told him I just performed Kabr and this came into my mind”.
The President rounded off this section of his speech by congratulating his new Vice President and the message that “whatever is your luck, just stay calm and it will arrive. Don’t need to be in a hurry”.
Watch the President’s speech in the video link below from the 1 hour 20 min mark.
