The responsibility of whatever belongs to all rest on everybody; so when a call is made to render services to such a cause everybody is obliged to heed to such a call. Such is what the call to Kanilai is about. The call by His Excellency, President Yahya Jammeh, for Gambians to help on his farm, is one that deserves urgent response.

His Excellency’s pioneering move has served not only as a motivation for Gambians, but also as a source of inspiration for thousands of people – Gambians and non-Gambians alike.

This year’s rainy season, by all indications, looks set for a bumper harvest. That is, if the nature of the rains is anything to go by. The president though, has made his call. In other words, he has fulfilled his obligation, doing all he can, urging Gambians to do what is best for them.

President Jammeh did not stop at that, he went on to set example – leadership by example. Whatever he preaches he does for people to see. Instead of spending his holidays in luxurious hotels in London, Paris or New York, like others would do, he chose to retire to Kanila, to farm.

We are not talking about the kind of farming that would have him posing as a master watching over his working people – something he could have done if he were that type of leader – but rather, he himself gets into the mud and tills the land. What else could he do to convince Gambians that he is true to his words about what he wants for Gambians?

It is quite obvious that President Jammeh, under normal circumstances, would not have to cultivate the land to get his family what they need for food; not even for the rest of his life time. But the fact of the matter is that an island of prosperity can never be stable in the middle of a sea of impoverishment. Besides, as a responsible leader, you will never feel satisfied in the face of the discomfort of your citizens, no matter how rich you might be.

Even as we read this, it is a well known fact that the proceeds of whatever is gotten from the farms in Kanilai are ploughed back to the people of this land of ours – scholarships; buying of medical facilities; payment of Hajj tickets; the list goes on and on and on. Yet selection for these beneficial gestures is not done on any partisan basis but rather on the basis of our status as Gambians and our loyalty to the nation of The Gambia.

This is what makes it all the more important that we all see the call by His Excellency as a call for all and sundry.