By Arret Jatta
Under pressure President Adama Barrow on Monday started work with visits to electricity installations in Kotu and Brikama, after a night of spontaneous and widespread protests over the ongoing acute power outages across many parts of the country.
The protests started in Banjul where people carried lit candles as a symbol, chanting ‘bring back our lights’.
Some of the protesters even reached State House demanding answers to a long periods of blackout in the capital.
Almost immediately, similar protests erupted across many towns in the Great Banjul Area and beyond with some degenerating into violent clashes between protesters and the police, trying to disperse them.
Protests were reported in Bakau, Brikama, Brufut, Talingding, Busumbala, Bakoteh, Westfield among other places, some lasting until very late in the night .
In his first reaction to the Monday night’s events during the visits to power installations, President Barrow described the situation as “really unfortunate” and said it was not what his government wanted for Gambians.
“Electricity is not a quick fix,” he said, asking citizens to give his government more time to address the problem.
He urged Gambians to treat the crisis as a national security issue and an emergency.
The president also appealed for peaceful protests and dialogue, warning that street protests would not solve the problem.
He said new machines would arrive shortly and promised that the ongoing electricity problems would be addressed before the end of October.
The president said his confidence comes from the successful implementation of projects his government had initiated across the country, including roads, bridges, the OIC Highway, health facilities and other projects, which he said, are proofs that his government can deliver.
The president said he had faced and managed to tackle bigger challenges before, including projects that previous governments struggled to complete, promising also to use that experience, knowledge, resources and support to fix the electricity crisis.
Nawec MD Saidy explains
Meanwhile, the Managing Director of Nawec Galo Saidy said his company is working around the clock to restore stable power, and blamed climate change and the war in the Middle East for worsening state of the power challenges which he said is not unique to The Gambia.
He explained that The Gambia depends on power from Guinea and Senegal while also producing its own electricity.
“Guinea supplies around 70 to 80 megawatts during the same period last year, however lower rainfall has affected power generation from the dams this year. But Nawec is working 24 hours a day to install generators and reduce the pressure on the national grid,” MD Saidy said.
Both Barrow and Saidy urged Gambians to remain patient, promising that the country would return to normal power supply.