By Ebrima Papa Colley (Gambiano)

Reader, 30% of the world’s wheat comes from Russia and Ukraine. Experts foresee a global food crisis in the near future. Ukraine has suspended its wheat export. Ousted Pakistani Prime Minister, Imran Khan bought two million tons of wheat from Russia shortly before his unceremonious exit. But wheat isn’t a staple in Gambia. It used to be somewhat popular in primary schools during the Jawara days. Rice, vegetable oil, fish, and few other commodities (all producible domestically) are Gambia’s bigger priorities.

But why do we still mention wheat? Other countries need it! Further, it’s cultivated in one of the coldest regions of the globe quite uncharitable to basic agriculture, let alone large-scale production (agro- business/agro industry).

Wheat is grown in the fertile Black Sea region of the two countries highlighted. But they have, perhaps the severest winter akin to that of Alaska and Iceland. This means these frozen countries have a very limited time to practice commercial, large-scale agriculture.

Gambia isn’t frozen! It has politicians that devour public wealth and think that to be the scriptural definition of success. There is nothing noble or successful in having the world’s poorest hospitals, roads, markets, schools, etc., and at the same time see D669 million vanish in thin air, or still unaccounted for.

Gambia is more fertile than Russia and Ukraine. But our leaders today have the poorest cognitive or visionary skills. There have been too many disappearances of public funds for us to re-enumerate. It’s sickening, right?

Some form of material poverty engenders intellectual or civilizational poverty. We are not only poor, but continue to produce some of mankind’s lowest IQ people! Insult added to injury, our “smart” ones also become corrupt to the viscera. Here’s what happened recently:

For 30-years, West African countries have been trying to break away from poverty, create wealth for their people, or at least improve the living standard of those same people. They thought a big beginner would be a common currency in West Africa.

When France learned this, it went back to what it’s being doing best—divide, dominate, control, conquer, or even kill! In the December of 2020, ECOWAS was supposed to meet to finalize talks on the ECO which was supposed to kick off shortly.

In the same December, Macron of France met with his chihuahuas, the head chihuahua being Outtara of Ivory Coast and other Francophones. France used them to hijack the dream of our people by killing the ECO. How?

Let’s say, reader, you invented a product (AfrikSon) and called your partners to the ceremony only to find that a conspirator convinced your partners to veer off. Not only that, the conspirator and your partners also declare their “own” new product called “AfrikSon.”

The Francophones led by Outtara of Ivory Coast, Senegal, Benin, etc., destroyed our hopes in 2020 just to continue being slaves to France. Why? Because France guarantees their stay in power. But some slaves are harmless, right?

These Outtara and Macky Sall kinds aren’t harmless. They practice their slavery by killing Africa’s growth and prosperity. They continue to make life extremely difficult for Africans in generational poverty. They enjoy seeing our people die in poor hospitals or road crashes due to bumpy, accident-inviting road networks.

But most importantly, they love to see high cost of consumer goods in Africa where our abjectly poor mothers cry in markets, streets, and impoverished homes because a bag of rice or cup of oil is unaffordable! Malnutrition gets its way, as usual. And what, next? Disease, hunger, poor life expectancy rates, etc., which Macron and others love to watch on Franch24 News and smile, right?