Pa Modou (Kotoo as he was fondly called) served in various boards of the GPU from 2008. In 2018, he was made the chairperson of the GPU Board Programs Committee.
He was humble, soft-spoken, and an overall wonderful human being who stood for, promoted, and defended press freedom and freedom of expression in The Gambia during the most difficult period in the history of journalism in the country.
Pa Modou had over 20 years of experience working for several media outlets including the defunct Independent, and Daily Observer newspapers. He also worked for The Point Newspaper and had served as founder member and former President of the Health Journalists Association of The Gambia (AOHJ) and the African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN Gambia Chapter).
Until recently, he has been working as an Information Officer with the Ministry of Health and had established a new consultancy firm, Focus Media Consulting, which offers training and works on media and public relations, and communication.
In November 2020, Pa Modou Faal was a motivating participant in the Media Run Challenge pioneered by the managing director of the GPU subsidiary, the Media Academy for Journalism and Communication (MAJaC). “This is good for health,” he said of the event, adding it was important for journalists to keep fit. Faal was also an advocate for professionalism in the media and has on several occasions implored journalists to uphold their code of conduct.
Musa, on his part, was a professional journalist who once served as a Senior Editor at the former Daily Observer newspaper and had for several years served as a Presidential Affairs Correspondent for the paper.
He was also a founder member and former executive board member of the Young Journalists Association of The Gambia (YJAG). Musa was among the first set of students to receive a two-year professional training at the then GPU School of Journalism’s pilot project known as the Professional Reporters Development Program (PRDP) between 2010 and 2012.
He was also a key member of the President Barrow Youths for National Development.
“The Gambia Press Union is deeply shocked and saddened by yet another tragic car accident claiming the lives of the two journalists,” GPU President Muhammed S. Bah said. “Their death was a great loss to the media fraternity and the country. We pray that Allah grant them a peaceful rest, as we join their families and relatives in mourning.”
Rest in Peace, Pa Modou.
Rest in Peace, Musa.
According to the Association of Public and Environmental Health Officers of The Gambia (APEHOG), Mr. Bayo until his demise has served the public Health Fraternity for decades in various capacities and was very well recognized as a senior member of the cadre. With decades of working experience, Mr. Bayo served in various regions in the country as a public Health Officer beginning at various health facilities as a young public health officer and later to various Regional Health Directorates across the country.
He is also an alumnus of the WHO STOP program where he served with utmost meticulousness and commitment. Lately, he served at the Environmental Health Unit, under the Directorate of Public Health Services, and most recently redeployed to the Primary Health Care Unit, all of the Ministry of Health.
He was humble, friendly, truthful, trustworthy and a father figure to many young public health officers.
He has stood by and defended the public Health Cadre and the Ministry of Health as a whole in so many capacities and circumstances.
Until their demise, these gallant journalists worked with the Directorate of Health Promotion and Education as media officers. They have been so instrumental for the Unit in particular and ministry as a whole and were some of the unspoken heroes during the most trying times of the pandemic.
The entire membership of The Association of Public and Environmental Health Officers of The Gambia (APEHOG) are deeply saddened and shocked at the untimely dead of these three gentlemen. Their death is a great loss to the health and media communities of the country.
