President Adama Barrow’s first wife failed to verbally read her own speech in Basse recently, drawing widespread attention whether she is able to read and write at all.

The Mother of the nation was recently in the Upper River town, which is also one of The Gambia’s biggest commercial centres, to celebrate Women’s Day but, her speech was surprisingly read for her by Women’s Affairs Minister and Vice President-overseer Aja Fatoumatta Tambajang, a source informed What’s On Gambia.

“She couldn’t read it,” the source added. 

That was supposed to mark her first formal public speech since her husband took power in January. 

Unlike President Barrow, the First Lady’s educational qualification still remains a mystery to many Gambians, forcing them to draw conclusions on answers that we can only speculate on.

What is widely known however is that she was “mainly a house wife” before her inexperienced husband’s astonishing rise to Presidency.

Her failed-mission represents a blow to Barrow, who inevitably at some point would have to call on her – to represent The Gambia - as far as certain diplomatic or festive engagements are concerned.