Talk:Alhagie A. B. Njie

Alhaji Alieu Badara N’Jie, C.M.G., M.B.E., J.P (1904-1982). A Muslim, born into a Wolof family in Bathurst, Njie attended the Methodist Boys' High School (1922-25) before entering the civil service in 1925. He remained in the civil service until his retirement in 1958 as the registrar of the Supreme Court. He was first elected to the Bathurst Town Council in 1949 as an independent for the Jollof/ Portuguese Town ward and, in 1960, was selected to contest the same seat for the Democratic Congress Alliance (DCA) in the first parliamentary election - even though he had not previously been active in the party. He won the same seat in the 1962 election, before transferring to Northern Kombo for the 1966 election and all subsequent ones up to 1977. Following the merger of the DCA and the People's Progressive Party (PPP) in 1965, he contested these later elections for the PPP. After the 1960 election, Njie was appointed Minister of Communications by Governor Edward Windley, but resigned (somewhat reluctantly) in March 1961 when P.S. Njie was selected as chief minister. Following the 1962 election, he was appointed minister of works in D.K. Jawara's first cabinet; communications was added to this portfolio in 1963. At independence in 1965, he was appointed Minister of State for External Affairs and first ever Resident Minister in Dakar (Jawara initially retained the foreign policy portfolio for himself). In April 1967, he again became Minister for External Affairs, but was replaced by Andrew Camara in January 1968. Following a period of out of the cabinet, he was appointed Minister of Information in 1970 and, in 1971, he became Minster of State in the President's Office. In 1972, he became Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources, before returning to External Affairs in July 1974, a post he held until the 1977 election. After the election, he was instead made Vice President in 1977 (a largely ceremonial post in this period). He finally resigned as a minister in August 1978 and before the 1982 election, was forced to retire as a Member of Parliament for Northern Kombo to make way for Nyimasata Sanneh-Bojang. Nevertheless, he was persuaded to lead the PPP election campaign,but was killed in a helicopter crash on 21st April 1982. Njie was awarded MBE in 1955.

Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (CMG) Justice of the Peace (JP)

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