By Binta Jaiteh
The National Assembly Member for Janjanbureh Hon. Omar Jammeh has demanded the closure of the National Electricity and Water Company (NAWEC) due to its inefficiency.
The lawmaker in an interview with The Voice said during the second Ordinary Session, on the adjournment debate, a lot of members stressed on NAWEC’s inefficiency and lack of commitment to serve the people of Janjanbureh.He said through the Parliament he applied for an extension of water through the Community Development Fund (CDF) at an amount of D361, 000to cover a distance of 150m for remote areas but to no avail after payments affected nearly 7 months.
“Since payment was made no sign of readiness to kick start work and I have done countless follow-ups with the management.
I think NAWEC is not ready to serve the nation. Imagine a whole National saying they don’t have prescribed pipes for installations whilst the electorates struggle to get clean and potable drinking water” Jammeh argued
The lawmaker for Janjanbureh pointed out that to curb the continuous outrage of power, governments must invest in renewable energy. The revenue NAWEC attracts is huge and no excuse should be given for failing to deliver to Gambians.
However, he said the current Minister cannot change the narrative as NAWEC is suffering from poor infrastructure (feeders), and poor engineers, among other factors to effect a change. The Hon Minister knows the problems, but sadly, he can’t do much with the current state of affairs whilst Gambians continue to pay people for their failures in delivering effectively.
“Electricity and water are basic services, and no country can grow without these services, and serious investors will never invest in a poor power system”, he asserted.
Member for Foni Jarrol Hon. Kebba TumandingSanneh disclosed that frequent power cuts are causing electrical destruction to the people. NAWEC is unable to deliver as expected due to heavy debt.
The Gambians are complaining bitterly about the matter because they pay taxes.
He explained that in 2017, NAWEC signed a contract with Senegal to supply electricity to the North Bank and that contract should be paid in dollars. At the moment they owe a lot to Senegal, Turkey, GNPC, Central Bank, and Social Security Housing and Finance Corporation. He explained
Hon. Sanneh outlined that currently, the Institution lacks meters and cables, and most of their vehicles are not functioning. This is not a political point but a concern as everyone is facing the challenges.
The lawmaker stated that NAWEC is going through a lot of challenges as this issue is very crucial to the public, Government should prioritize NAWEC to make sure they deliver as expected.
