By M.B. Jalloh :
Foday Fofana reportedly passed away at their 19 Hagan Street family residence in the East End of Freetown in the early hours of this morning.
Born in the late 1950’s, Foday reported for the BBC in Sierra Leone after Kalilu Kamara left in the 1980’s. He reported for sometime before he had problem with the late President Joseph Saidu Momoh. His last report for the BBC about Sierra Leone was in 1989 when he blasted Major General Momoh from the Guinean border town of Pamlap.
From that point, he went to Spain and later came to Guinea – Conakry where he also worked as a BBC Stringer for a few years. During his stay in Conakry, he worked closely with the late President Lansana Conteh and the then main opposition leaders, Alpha Condeh (incumbent president) and Bah Mamadou. He travelled extensively accross the country with the trio during political campaigns in the early 1990’s.
He was an active member of the newly formed Sierra Leone Veteran Journalist Union. He was also a multlingual (English, French and Spanish ) . He was fluent in many other local languages : Temne, Kuranko, Susu and Fulani.
His death comes about one year after the passing of Lansana Fofana, (Lans Fofy) another veteran BBC journalist.
Foday ‘ s death is a big loss to the Journalism profession in Sierra Leone. He would be missed not only by Journalists but his readers accross the country. He was a prolific writer who mentored a good number of young journalists. Foday was a close family friend. May Allah forgive him and make paradise is reward and permanent abode.
