The departure of Abdoulaye Baba Diao is an immense loss. It is that of a man for whom the words Homeland, honor, work, loyalty and determination have always had meaning. He will have cherished all these values ​​during his lifetime and above all preached by example in his everyday actions. Having worked with the man, I cannot express how much my shell has cracked. I was hesitant before being able to share this text and above all, writing each of these lines was oh so difficult. My mind was torn between loyalty and the memory of a man who placed discretion above all else. He was a man of few words, especially in the public sphere, while frantically ensuring that he worked in the direction of good gestures, good deeds and the accomplishment of good works. Doing good, wherever and whenever the opportunity arises and in a selfless manner, was a way of life that he instilled in everyone who was in his circle. His lessons on how to behave and evolve in society and in business are still etched in stone in my mind.

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Sometimes you will be adored, sometimes you will be roundly criticized, try to always be on your feet. This is the substance of his words. Abdoulaye Baba Diao is the name that will forever rhyme with rigor, excellence, self-sacrifice, generosity and humility in this country. He will have been a student steeped in qualities: a Baccalaureate with “Very good” mention, a scholarship for the Preparatory Classes of Louis-le-Grand, the French Petroleum Institute (Ifp), after a stint at the Central School of Lille. He will have completed all his classes before returning home as a gifted engineer, ready to set foot in the stirrup and contribute in his own way to the development of his country. He never hesitated to reach out to young people and encourage their devotion to the cult of work.

His profession as an engineer and his passion for knowledge made him the perfect teacher and the best student, with an unfailing ability to listen and a way of providing advice that always had the appearance of a resolution of equation. He was full of references and recommendations on everything. In the world of hydrocarbons, it is to Baba Diao that we owe Petrosen in its current form as the technical arm of the State. Nor will he have been sparing of efforts with the different regimes which have succeeded one another at the head of this country to preserve the African Refining Company (Sar).

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The author Pierre de Gasquet said about the businessman and Italian icon Gianni Agnelli (former boss of Fiat), that the power of a clan or a man is measured very little by the extent of his heritage. He insisted on the fact that it is enough for an individual to be able to “emerge from the crowd” and “become a sort of living myth” to become a symbol, a reference for generations and above all, a “landmark of a Nation”. Abdoulaye Baba Diao was able, through his talent, his intelligence, his courage in business and his self-sacrifice in work, to make himself a timeless idol in our country and serve as the most accomplished example of success for any child of the People who would wish to emulate those on top. Baba Diao’s only tragedy was to have been born and lived in a country like Senegal, a land where we know how to hate our heroes, hate honest people who succeed through work and fight everything that is greater. than oneself. The silence of the authorities on the disappearance of the last of the titans of our economy says a lot about the state of mind of a country where we would like to burn all greatness and demonize all exceptional compatriots. At the rate at which we wish to see our heroes consumed by the fire of bitter failure, it is not for tomorrow that a Pantheon will be erected for the worthy sons of the Nation.

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It is after a full life that one of our greatest captains of industry and a valiant promoter of Senegalese capital in all its dimensions is bowing out. He will have gone everywhere, and with the patience of a helmsman, to sow seeds in several minds and support the best ideas and initiatives for the benefit of Senegal.  A motto of Marcus Aurelius, “do not look around you; stay straight on the line; do not disperse”, can summarize the attitude that Baba Diao will have lavished on all the people who were lucky enough to accompany him. I strangle myself for not having been able to compile all the necessary elements in a project to tell the story of Senegalese capitalism and the long quest for hydrocarbons of which he was the main interlocutor and contributor. The tragic reminder that the time we think we are given is always an illusion when we do not use it wisely remains striking.

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Today, a great man has left us. A beautiful soul who loved Senegal and tried to give as many opportunities as possible to her daughters and sons. The pain of his family is enormous, the grief of his friends and loved ones immeasurable. I cannot but think, in concluding these lines, of all the loyal lieutenants, collaborators and advisors who will have supported this titan of our times. My condolences to A Alioune Wade, Ousmane Diouf, El Hadj Ousseyne « Elou », Charles Sohai, Me Alassane Cissé, Ousmane Lô, Doyen Cissokho, Sakhir Diouf and Jean-Michel Seck. There will no longer be a titan like the father, master, godfather and boss that we have just lost. I can only cherish all the life lessons he left us.

From him, I also keep well framed in my office, a two-page demonstration that he gave me on the hydrocarbon potential of Senegal and its need in the future to become a hub of these resources in Africa. It was in 2012, we couldn’t dream of a greater genius!

By Serigne Saliou DIAGNE / saliou.diagne@lequotidien.sn

  • Translation by Ndey T. SOSSEH