By Mustapha Jarju
Team GomsaBopa Movement, a pressure group Friday, 5th May 2023 organized a press conference and declared a nationwide demonstration against NAWEC as a result of people`s dissatisfaction with the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC) on the new increment of electricity and water tariff which make the Gambia the 5th most expensive Country on water and electricity bill.
Team GomsaBopa at the press conference under the campaign theme – ‘DafaDoy’ (is enough) said they will work with all Gambians across the country to peacefully demonstrate to show their dissatisfaction with NAWEC over their latest tariff which affects the prices of other goods and services in the country, after the increment of transportation prices earlier this year.
Speaking at the press conference, Mr. Yusuf Taylor, the Public Relations Officer for Team GomsaBopa called on all security officers to ensure that people that will participate in the demonstration are secured to peacefully demonstrate their concerns.
He said the movement will be conducting a local sensitization in the public to discuss the latest price hike, too.
Mr, Taylor implored the NAWEC to tell the Gambian people the real reasons why they have introduced this extortionate new tariff, because the introduced increase of 37% for electricity and 20% for water is unaffordable, living people with no option but to demand NAWEC return to its previous tariff.
Ousainou Colley commonly known as (Ousainou Gambia) a concerned citizen also spoke at the press conference saying before the increment of the new tariff Gambians were struggling to pay the previous one and this new tariff is another burden on the families and it shouldn’t be.
Ousainou said, “This is affecting people and is trampling on people`s rights. PURA should ensure that NAWEC reaches out to people through public engagement, even if this was done it was not up to our satisfaction.”