S. M. Dibba: Tribute to A Departed Icon

By Mathew K. Jallow, Associate Editor

He came of age at a time when The Gambia, like a blind person, was feeling its way through the cruel and harsh labyrinth of international politics. It was a time when neither he nor the person who led the country to independence, the venerable Sir Dawda Jawara, knew what course to chart for a newly independent nation. But, as the nation grew, so did he grow with it, both politically and intellectually. In the end, like so many of his age, much of what Sheriff Mustapha Dibba knew about politics grew out of trial and error, in that age of baptism by fire. The honeymoon though did not last forever; rather, somewhere along the line, the reserved Dibba broke ranks with his mentor; Jawara, and proceeded to found his own political party-the National Convention Party. The rest, as they say, is history.

Yet, if there is one thing one can say about Sheriff M. Dibba, it is that he was very loyal to his Baddibunka constituency; so much so that he was faulted for having little or nor apathy towards other parts of the country. Be that as it may, one thing is certain, Sheriff’s influence and dedication to the people of Baddibu, singularly turned that region and its people from the most depressed and backward, to one of the most affluent, within one generation. By using political leverage to the advantage of his fellow Baddibunkas, Sheriff Dibba made a few enemies, but when he fell apart with Sir Dawda, his fellow Baddibunkas rallied behind him, ever so loyal and grateful to the man that can aptly be described as their Moses.

Though I only knew Sheriff M. Dibba from the distance, evidence has shown that he was a man of steel and did not easily buckle under political pressure even after serving time in prison following the failed coup of 1981. Perhaps more importantly, he was not materialist by any stretch of the imagination. Sheriff was one of the few of his generation who was not given to amassing wealth for himself even when opportunities presented themselves, instead, he was satisfied with the little he had, and lived in the same modest house until his untimely demise. For many in this day and age, greed and the fear of losing one’s means of survival trumps honor; not Dibba. He chose honor over greed until his dying day.

But, as the curtains finally close on the remarkable life of Sheriff M. Dibba, one thing we can be certain of is that God does not make them like that anymore. Though he was too young to die, S.M.Dibba left behind a legacy that speaks to our better characters; honor and dedication. In the twilight of his life, Sheriff’s service in the military regime, came more as a result of not wanting to see our country plunged into the perilous abyss of social decadence and economic mismanagement, yet, despite his best efforts, he could not change the dangerous course our country is headed for. As the sun has set on Sheriff M. Dibba, we can remember all those political figures in the twilight of their lives, who in 1994 bequeathed to us a peaceful democratic dispensation. So long, Mr. Dibba, and Rest in Perfect Peace