Banjul North Lawmaker Says Protest Over Power Crisis Was About ‘Survival, Not Politics’

By Fatou Sillah

The National Assembly member for Banjul North, Momodou Lamin B. Bah, said a protest he led in the capital over persistent electricity and water shortages was driven by deteriorating living conditions, not partisan politics.

Speaking in an interview with West Coast Radio, Mr. Bah, a member of the United Democratic Party, said residents had endured weeks of prolonged power cuts, some lasting eight to 12 hours. The most recent outage, he said, stretched beyond 30 hours.

The electricity disruptions have also compounded water shortages in parts of the capital, Mr. Bah said, with low water pressure leaving some households without running water for days.

“I was in Banjul with the residents; I stood with them, and yes, I will continue to stand with them anytime their rights and dignity have been trampled upon,” he said. “From the start, it’s not about politics. This was not about the party. What this was about was survival.”

Mr. Bah said he had previously raised concerns about electricity and water shortages in the National Assembly and through his public platforms. But after efforts to have the issue debated in Parliament failed to materialize, he said he decided to join residents in the streets.

He argued that his position as an elected lawmaker did not require him to remain on the sidelines while his constituents struggled with basic services. He noted that he also lives in Banjul and experiences many of the same disruptions as the people he represents.

Mr. Bah said the protesters were calling for the immediate publication of a transparent load-shedding schedule and the deployment of emergency water tankers to neighborhoods hardest hit by the shortages.

He also called on the authorities to explain the causes of the persistent outages, including whether they stem from fuel shortages, aging infrastructure, or other problems affecting the country’s electricity supply.

Beyond the immediate crisis, Mr. Bah called for greater long-term investment in electricity and water infrastructure, including renewable energy, maintenance of the national grid, and improvements to Banjul’s water system.

Residents of the capital, he said, should not be expected to continue enduring prolonged disruptions to essential services, adding that the protest reflected growing frustration over what demonstrators view as the neglect of Banjul’s basic infrastructure.