Photo: AP The president of the Republic has urged Foni communities to intensify farming by cultivating crops such as 'Findi', maize, coos and groundnut, among others, in a bid to be food self-sufficient. He also pledged to give a brand new tractor to any village in the country that produces 1000 bags of 'findi', corn or millet. His Excellency Sheikh Professor Ahaji Dr Yahya Jammeh was speaking Saturday at a meeting held in Mayork, Foni Bondali District of the West Coast Region, on day six of his ongoing 'Dialogue With the People Tour'. The president is accompanied by Cabinet ministers, speaker of the National Assembly, director generals, managing directors, senior government officials, Yaye kompins, and APRC militants, among others.
While thanking the people of West Coast Region for the warm welcome, President Jammeh also urged youths in Foni to embrace farming seriously. He advised them to grow 'findi', groundnut, maize or coos, so as to eat what they grow and grow what they eat'. The president observed that the labour involved in 'findi' production is not difficult but yet its price in the market is very costly, due to the fact that most of these crops are imported either from Guinea or other countries. He recalled his school days when they used to farm at the present meeting venue in Mayork, while urging the students to cultivate the land rather than leaving it unutilised.
President Jammeh announced that he will embark on another tour in September and November this year, to see how farmers are faring. He also recalled that Foni used to be a heavily agricultural farming region, saying that most of the farms are now turning into forests. He added: "Let's grow what we eat and if you have constraints along the way, I will help you. The era of sitting down and someone working for you and you eat has come to an end this year. And to give tractors to people free has also come to an end. Any village that needs a tractor for farming, I can make it available to you without paying anything. But how can these villages have a tractor?" The Gambian leader also assured that any village that produces 1000 bags of 'findi', millet, coos or groundnut will have a tractor for free. He further stressed that foodstuff such as maize, coos and 'findi' will not be imported into the country by 2016.
He emphasised the need for people to embark more on farming so as to drive away hunger. To this end, he made reference to those days when people hardly complain of malaria by using preventive methods such as 'Neteh'(a local plant) and other traditional plants especially during the rainy season. He also observed the growing number of ailments especially among young people.
He opined that these strange ailments are as a result of the different types of western food people consume nowadays. "In those days people don't know asthma, diabetes and other ailments, but today even kids contract these ailments. So let's go back to the land," he stated.
President Jammeh also urged the youths of Foni to be steadfast and dedicated and have regard for their parents. He said that this year, there will be no football tournament locally called nawettan from Bullock in the West Coast Region to Koina in the Upper River Region. He told the gathering that in those days in Foni, there were few health centres and doctors, but there exist elders more than 100 years in some villages. "What about today? With all these many health centres and doctors people don't live long. In those days people here don't know asthma, diabetes but today even kids have diabetes," he remarked. He used the opportunity to reiterate his call for attitudinal change especially among the youths. He made it clear that inculcating discipline in children is not the responsibility of schools but parents, while urging parents to nurture high sense of discipline in their children. "I took annual leave and spent it in Kanilai farming because I prefer to work and help people and Allah will reward me than going to Europe or America for holiday. If I as the president would go to the farm during the rainy season, I see no reason why some of you who cannot even buy your uniform cannot go to the farm," he stated.
The Gambian leader then disclosed that he has a new policy regarding the sponsorship package for students. He said if one is a male or female student, apart from that person's academic qualifications, he would vouch for his/her character and further enquire whether the individual has sympathy for his/her parents, before he can sponsor the individual.
The ministers of Water Resources, and Basic and Secondary Education, Mass Axi Gaye and Fatou Lamin Faye respectively, both commended the people of WCR for the warm welcome. Minister Gaye stressed on the ongoing water projects in the region, courtesy of IBD, AfDB and JICA, promising that by 2014 from Bullock to Kalagi after every 200 meters in the region, people will have pipe-borne water. He advised the people to consult experts at the Department of Water Resources when their boreholes breakdown.
For his part, the minister of Interior, Ousman Sonko, implored on people to unite and work towards the development of the country since election is over. He also dilated on the numerous development initiatives brought to the region by President Jammeh. He cited schools and health centres, among a host of other projects, as examples. He advised the people to go back to the land while at the same time warning them to desist from cultivating cannabis in the area. Minister Sonko described the youths as the cream of the nation who should venture into meaningful development initiatives.
The mayor of KMC who is also the APRC National mobiliser, Yankuba Colley, thanked the electorate for giving President Jammeh 100% in the last presidential election. He reminded the gathering that politics is now over and called for unity and cooperation in order to move the country forward. Mayor Colley equally implored on the youths to actively engage in farming. "If we want to drive hunger let's grow what we eat and eat what we grow," he added. Speaking earlier, the governor of West Coast Region, Alhaji Lamin Sanneh, welcomed the Gambian leader on behalf of the people of West Coast region. While describing President Jammeh as a visionary leader who continues to share his wealth with people, he highlighted the numerous developments brought to the people of West Coast Region by the Gambian leader. Governor Sanneh also appealed for the construction of factories in the region so as to minimise rural-urban drift by the youths.
Alhaji Bakary Dembo Badjie, chief of Foni Bondali; Jonkong Sanneh, APRC Constituency chairman; Aja Metta Korta, lady councillor of Foni Bondali; Kebuteh Sanyang, APRC youth leader; Hon. Matarr Kujabi, National Assembly member for Foni Bondali; and Kaddy Camara, all welcomed the Gambian leader and his entourage to the West Coast Region. They appealed for the construction of feeder roads especially the road linking Buramba and Bambara. They also appealed for the fencing of Bondali School, and farming implement, among others so as to boost agriculture in the area. President Jammeh also donated the sum of D1M to the schools in the WCR.
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