“WE WANT POWER NOW!” – GALA PROTESTERS CHANT AMID ELECTRICITY CRISIS

[00:00:03]POWER.

[00:00:08]What do WE WANT? POWER. WHAT DO WE WANT?

[00:00:11]POWER. WHEN DO WE WANT IT? POWER. WHEN DO WE WANT IT? NOW. WHAT DO WE WANT?

[00:00:16]NOW. WHAT DO WE WANT? POWER. WHAT DO WE WANT? NOW. WHEN DO WE WANT IT? NOW.

[00:00:21]>> WHEN DO WE WANT IT?

[00:00:23]>> WHAT DO WE WANT?

[00:00:24]>> WHAT DO WE WANT?

[00:00:26]>> WHAT DO WE WANT? POWER.

[00:00:27]>> WHAT DO WE WANT? POWER. WHEN DO WE WANT IT?

[00:00:30]>> WHEN DO WE WANT IT? NOW. WHEN DO WE NEED IT? NOW.

[00:00:34]>> WHEN DO WE NEED IT?

[00:00:35]>> NOW.

[00:00:35]>> WHEN DO WE WANT? POWER. WHEN DO WE WANT POWER?

[00:00:39]>> WHEN DO WE NEED IT? [screaming] NOW.

[00:00:40]>> WHEN DO WE NEED IT?

[00:00:42]>> WHAT DO WE WANT?

[00:00:44]>> WHAT DO WE WANT?

[00:00:45]>> WHEN DO WE WANT IT?

[00:00:47]>> NOW. WHEN DO WE WANT IT? NOW.

[00:00:49]>> WHAT DO WE WANT?

[00:00:51]>> WHAT DO WE WANT?

[00:00:53]>> WHEN DO WE NEED IT?

[00:00:54]>> NOW. hard pass. If they want, let them kill me or they can prison. BUT I WILL GET THEM HARD PASS. We don't need them.

[00:01:03]They need us because when they need a job from us, they use our cars, they use our money, THEY COME AND TELL US A SWEET WORD AND AT THE same time they misuse OUR PHONE BECAUSE THESE USPS THEY BUY for $120,000 or $140,000.

[00:01:22]It has two of this can be here is our seed and SO WHEN WE GET OUR business we can build our OWN mighty mighty Africy mighty African mighty mighty Africans mighty mighty Africa.

[00:02:06]Electricity company and the subject is 10 days ultimatum for the resolution of reliable electricity and water supply across the country. The Gambians against Hereby submit this petition to express our profound concern and outrage over the persistent failure of Nav to provide the reliable and adequate electricity and water supply to the people of the Gambia. For far too long, Gambians have ended recalling back blackout wateration and service over the homes, businesses, hospitals, schools, public institutions and the entire community. Families are forced to live in discomfort and uncertainty. Business continue to lose students deprived of conducive learning environment. Healthcare delivery is compromised and economic activity severely disrupted. The recent electricity supply across this country with imable impact on water production and contrib and distribution has further create suffering of citizens and undermined livelihood of the masses at scale.

[00:03:19]Access to electricity and clean water is not a privilege. It's a basic necessity and essential public service. Citizens pay for these services and are therefore entitled to expect they are delivered evidently, reliably and consistently. We note with concern that despite millions of dollars in public expenditure and hundreds of millions of dollars donor funded projects directed to energy sector, electricity and water supply remains unreliable and inadequate. A review a review of public available records from N government development partners and other reliable sources indicate that the period between 2027 2017 and 2026 has witnessed the large investment in utility sector in the history of the government. The configuration of services therefore cannot be attributed to lack of funding, resources or external support. Rather the evidence point out persistent governing failure, poor planning, weak management, lack of accountability and um concerns regarding financial management and operational evidence. Audit reports, parliamentary procedures, investigative reports and public inquiries have repeatedly highlighted incidents inefficient in our in internal control, procurement practices, financial oversight, project implementation, institutional performance. Despite this finance, citizens continue to be at the body of institutional failure whilst those responsible face little or no accountability. N is not a mere commercial enterprise. It is a state public utility entrusted with the management of static national infrastructure and the delivery of services that are invisible to life, public health, education, economic development and national security.

[00:05:12]Section one subsection two of the constitution provided the sovereign sovereignty of this country lies in the hands of the Gambian whom all organs of the state draw their authority and to whom they remain accountable. The constitution further arrive that the state to promote the welfare and prosperity of the people and to ensure the emp management of natural resources.

[00:05:34]This directive principles of state policy under chapter the ultimate accordingly Ghana hereby issue a 10 days ultimatum to take all necessary measures to restore and normalize reliable electricity and water supply across the government. We are not seeking for further promises, excuses or timeline public statements.

[00:05:57]>> We are demanding and measurable results. The Gambian people have exercised extraordinary patients for two decades without employing everyone's hardship caused by failure of successive administrations and utility managers to provide this essential services that patient must not be taken for acceptance. N should never fail to to demonstrate concrete and sustainable improvement in supply of electricity and water within 10 days period that I will reserve THE RIGHT TO ENDLESS AND actions to hold N it management and relevant public authorities accountable for the continuous failure.

[00:06:42]>> Our demands are clear restore electricity. Restore water 10 days no excuses and no DELAY RESPECTFULLY signed by secretary Gambians against deny thelicity of the leaked letter.

[00:07:05]Inform the Gambian people of the circumstances surrounding the decision to allow the compassion agreement to expire. Explain whether the concerns outlined in the letter were communicated to the relevant authorities and what action has been taken into.

[00:07:20]Provide a full public explanation of the factors that led to the current electricity and water crisis. Number five and the last one. Present a clear time plan for restoring reliable electricity and water services throughout the country. The continued silence of public officials in a matter of sustain consistent with the principles of transparency, accountability and good governance enshrined in our constitution. Should you fail to provide a satisfactory response within 10 days shall pursue all law and constitutional means available to demand accountability including a nationwide campaign calling for your resation from office and on the ground that you have failed to maintain public confidence in the administration of the ministry. This petition is not merely about a leak. It's about the suffering of Gambians, the right of citizens to know the truth and the responsibility of public officials to account for decisions that affect the lives and the livelihoods of the people.

[00:08:22]The Gambian people deserve answers. The Gambian people deserve accountability.

[00:08:26]The Gambian people deserve reliable electricity and water. We will give you 10 days to tell the Gambian people the truth. Respectfully submitted the general secretary. Gambians are going to lose 10 DAYS.

[00:08:37]>> 10 DAYS.

[00:08:38]>> 10 DAYS.

[00:08:39]>> 10 DAYS.

[00:08:51]>> [music] >> Tell me [music] love.

[00:09:06][music] >> [music] [singing] >> promise to joy. [music] Remember New We [music] intimidated tactics like you're trying to save us communication. [music] We don't care when you don't hear us. We better be quite familiar with your promises and failures. The system that we fought against [music] us saying is out.

[00:09:51]Everyone is waking up. Hello. Hello.

[00:09:53]Hello. Hello. Hello guys. Hello guys.

[00:09:55]HEY HEY HEY. HELLO GUYS. HELLO. HELLO.

[00:10:00]Hello guys. PLEASE. PLEASE GUYS PLEASE.

[00:10:02]HELLO. HELLO. HELLO.

[00:10:07]HELLO.

[00:10:11]HELLO. HELLO. HELLO. HEY. HEY. Can we please? Hey. Hey.

[00:10:18]Hello. Listen. Please listen. CALM DOWN.

[00:10:20]CALM DOWN. PLEASE GUYS, CALM DOWN.

[00:10:22]PLEASE. ORDER. ORDER. ORDER. Or order.

[00:10:27]Calm down. Please calm down. Hey. Hey.

[00:10:35]Okay. Guys. Okay.

[00:10:46]Can you go back? Can you please PLEASE PEOPLE?

[00:11:10]PEOPLE NOT ALLOW THEM TO US. OUR POWER IS MORE BIGGER THAN THEIRS. OUR POWER IS FARATED by the African. WE ARE THE AFRICAN mighty mighty African mighty mighty Africa. All this xenophobia that is going on on this continent. We reaffirm our victim as Africans before we rifle. This my gun. This my rival is my gun. This battle is for battle for THE BATTLEFIELD. IF I DIE ON THE BATTLEFIELD, TELL MY PEOPLE I did my best. Tell my people I did my best.

[00:12:52]You already got your Work your way down.

[00:13:26]Heat. Heat.

[00:13:36]Yeah.

[00:13:38]Heat.

[00:13:48]Heat.

[00:14:01]Heat.

[00:14:09]Heat. Heat.

[00:14:37]>> [music] >> WHAT DO WE WANT? WHAT DO WE WANT? WHAT DO WE WANT? WHAT DO WE WANT?

[00:14:56]We have we have two ministers, one minister of energy and one.

[00:15:24]So we we are saying here is after 10 days we are going to get back to the campus. If this electricity is not fixed after this, we run and with or without going again.

[00:15:46]>> WHEN DO WE DO IT?

[00:15:49]>> WHEN DO WE DO?

[00:15:52]>> OKAY. OKAY, GUYS.

[00:16:05]11 days 10 days deadline. So after the of the family mech.

[00:16:29][music] [music] [singing] [music] >> [music] >> I got you.