It is not often that we get the views of Gambians from the countryside. That does not mean that they do not have something to say, or that they do not want to say something. The fact is that the forum is what they do not seem to have. This is the impression one of our provincial reporters, Momodou Ashmauh Jallow, based in Brikamaba, Central River Region, gathered when he sat down with Alhajie Kebba Touray.

The chief of Niamina East District, Mr Kebba Touray is a rare figure, combining the talents of a preacher with that of a traditional ruler. He compared President Yahya Jammeh to a king in the era of Prophet Yusuph. He said: "Jammeh's initiative for food sustenance is similar to the king's dream in Prophet Yusuph's era, 46,000 years ago".

At his residence, Alhagie Kebba Touray, a distinguished Marabout and a healer by profession, preaches quoting the words of the Holy Qu'ran. In his translation of Suratul Yusuph, the chief said that Gambians ought to be proud and thankful to Allahu Tallah for bestowed on them a "miraculous" president. He directly pointed at Suratul Yusuph, verse 43-47, saying it is highly related to Jammeh's initiative for food sustenance.

He swore that Gambians don't know much about the president, the potential of their leader, but that most of them, (Quranic scholars) knew earlier on that he [Yahya] would become the president due to the secrets they had recognised in him. He pointed out that the harvests that people gain each year as part of the president's initiative for food sustenance comes back to the same Gambians during hard times in the future; a time he said only the president knows, not any other person.

In this respect, Chief Touray sought to urge all the youths in his district to be cooperative and steadfast in communal works, which he said provide immense chance for progress.

He argued that the presidents of other countries, in spite of the prevailing hardship sanctioned by global phenomena, do not care about their subordinates because they have all the chances of becoming rich.

Elaborating on the role his district is playing in promoting the cause of the food self-sufficiency drive, the chief disclosed that 22 hectares of cereal farms have been cultivated, and that their harvest is expected to be the highest in the region (CRR).

However, Chief Touray could not conclude without stating some problems being faced by the people of his district, saying that due to the lack of fresh water in the district, a huge number of cattle die, or suffer abortions and serious abdominal pains. He described salty water as dangerous to animals, appealing to the government and non-governmental organisations to help the district with boreholes.