During the recent conference of chiefs which he played host to in Jarra Soma, Governor Puye said: “We all know that the large chunk of our population are youths which is why I want to urge them to go to the farm so that we can attain food self-sufficiency as enshrined in Vision 2016. Given the fact that local chiefs are the traditional rulers, they must advocate for attitudinal change to alleviate lazy attitudes and discourage the dependency syndrome. I believe we have to contribute our quota in national development and that all chiefs should be able to work with their people especially the youth in their respective areas in order to make Vision 2016 a reality. My fellow governors will work with their respective chiefs and build a cohesive relationship that can bring unity for posterity and thereby build a common platform conducive for development. The president has levelled the ground for the development of this country and we are the nation’s engine to make that happen.”
Governor Puye also highlighted the importance of the ceremony saying it started way back in 1944 and first celebrated in Janjangbureh. He said since then, the conference of chiefs (Mansa Bengo) has earned its rightful place in society both in the first and second republics.
“As the host of this important event, I want to take this opportunity to dwell on the theme ‘Traditional culture and authority in the maintenance of peace and development’. The chiefs will look at the Gambian leader’s Vision 2016 for food self-sufficiency. They will discuss all the real burning issues of development. More respect and consideration needed to be given to chiefs as real partners to enable us tackle the bottlenecks that may hinder the progress of our development agenda. The womenfolk are always ready to participate in farming… “
By Lamin Baba Njie
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