President Jammeh has vowed to keep the country's agriculture under his watchful eyes, saying that he would never assign the Cabinet portfolio to anyone, owing to the degeneration that had smirched the state department.

The president told thousands of Gambians at a victory celebration in Basse on Thursday, that he will never again appoint a secretary of state for Agriculture and has finally taken charge of the portfolio.

The president said the department had seen several changes at its leadership for the past 14 years without any major breakthrough.

"I was the first the secretary of state for Agriculture. Later on, I gave it to another person before taking it back. Several people headed the department within 14 years, all aimed at meeting the deadline of three years for Gambia to be food self-sufficient. But today, we are in the seventh year and The Gambia is still not food self-sufficient and continues to depend on imported food", he said.

The president said he had sacked four secretaries of state for Agriculture in seven years all the name of ensuring food self sufficiency, confirming his frustration with the state of affairs at the department.

On energy and petroleum, the Gambian leader also stated that the sector had first been under the the Department of State for Trade, Industry and Employment. "When the two sectors were fused under one department, electricity supply and affordability became a big problem everywhere. I sacked five secretaries of state under the department and took it over myself. Then electricity became normal and it is everywhere, especially the rural electrification project which covers every village that has a population of 1,000 people," he said.

He added that any secretary of state who did not lived up to expectation would be fired and a suitable individual would be appointed henceforth.

On corruption, President Jammeh clearly stated that there would be no compromise anymore, for anyone found guilty again.

He urged the authorities to work hand-in-glove with the people. He then gave a stern warning on the misuse of public funds, putting it sarcastically. "If you illegally swallow any funds of local councils or government, you will vomit it out or go to jail".

Certain individuals think that if they steal government funds and get removed, they may be free. This is not the case now. No one will escape now," he said, and he added that those comments seek to answer several questions that usually arise when he sacked or arrested an individual.

He then reiterated his back to the land call and implored Gambians to support it for the good of the country.

For his part, Yankuba Touray, the secretary of state for Fisheries, Water Resources and National Assembly Matters, advised the youth to drop the idea of going to 'Babylon' and work towards national development.

Alhaji Omar Khan, the governor of Central River Region, elaborated on numerous developments in the region and assured President Jammeh of their continuous support.

Other speakers at the occasion included Alhaji Harneh Jabon Krubally, the APRC divisional chairman, Omar Sowe, a regional youth coordinator, Aja Mariama Jaw, a women mobiliser and Omar Ceesay, the chairman Basse Area Council.

President Jammeh also held a similar meeting in Gambisara, where he received a raucous welcome.

President's gesture

In yet another move to ensure quality education for all, President Jammeh has donated two buses, 210 bags of rice and a cash amount of D100,000 as fish money to Armitage Senior Secondary School in Janjanbureh.

The donation follows a tumultuous welcome accorded to the president and his entourage, after landing on the island, where another victory celebration was organised.

However, the president told the school authorities that the gesture was temporal and urged them to work hard to ensure food self-sufficiency.

Addressing thousands of Gambians at a victory celebration, President Jammeh thanked the people of Janjanbureh for massively voting for the APRC candidates in the past elections. He then disclosed plans to transform the island, citing the Sankulay Kunda-Janjangbureh Bridge as part of the package in the offing.

Reiterating his back to the land call, the president said the country would have attained food self-sufficiency if his call were supported, especially by the men of this country. Janjangbureh alone, the president continued, could provide enough food for The Gambia if her land had been properly utilised.

The Gambian leader then stated that government alone cannot provide employment for every Gambian, and he called for attitudinal change to move the country forward.

Yankuba Touray, the secretary of state for Fisheries, Water Resources and National Assembly Matters, thanked the islanders for voting for the APRC candidates in the past elections. SoS Touray informed the cheering crowd of supporters that the Sankulay Kunda-Janjangbureh Bridge will take of in 2009.

other speakers at the victory meeting included Bakary Jam-Jawo, the chief of Janjangbureh and Hon Foday Manka, the NAM for Janjanbureh.

Brikama-Ba

In Brikama-Ba, where several key opposition figures announced their defection to the APRC party, President Jammeh informed Gambians that tractors provided in the past were misused, leading to the failure of Operation Feed Yourself and the Operation Feed the Nation. He however maintained that this would not happen with the new consignment of at least 500 tractors this year. He also stressed that there would be no more free fertilizer, as this was also abused by some farmers.

Assuring his government's readiness to stabilise the price of rice until September, the president warned that he would pull out from the arrangement after September, when crops would have been ready for harvesting. "So anyone who did not farm will suffer," he warned.

Yankuba Touray, the secretary of state for Fisheries, Water Resources and National Assembly Matters, thanked the people for their support but encouraged them to engage more in farming.

Hon Yerro Mballow, NAM for Lower Fulladu West and Momodou Lamin Bandeh, the chief of Lower Fulladu West, assured President Jammeh of their fullest support and called on people to positively change their attitude towards national development.

The chief used the opportunity to appeal for a generator for Brikama-Ba community radio station.

Other speakers at the meeting included Nyama Ceesay, the Alkalo of Brikama-Ba, Sally Baldeh, a women mobiliser, Chief Biran Baldeh of Upper Fulladu West, as well as Abdoulie Baldeh, a defector.