Press Release

For Immediate Release

26th April, 2024

The Minority in Parliament has noted with utter shock and dismay the Rambo-style with which the Ashanti Regional Minister ordered for the arrest of Ing. Mark Wiafe Asumani, the Ashanti Regional Area Manager of the Electricity Company of Ghana, following the disconnection of power to the Kumasi Technical University as a results of the University’s inability to settle its outstanding debt of GHC 1.2 million owed to ECG.

The NDC minority in Parliament wishes to condemn this abuse of power demonstrated by the Regional Minister.

We wish to state unequivocally that the Minister has no business interfering with the work of ECG with such level arrogance. The Minister is quoted by credible media outlets of having admitted to this role in the arrest and detention of Mr. Wiafe. His reason was that he had earlier requested the ECG to notify him anytime the former intended to disconnect power to any public university in his region. This, according to him, was not complied with, hence, his instructions to the police to arrest and detain the ECG MD in the Ashanti Region. This is condemnable and regrettable to say the least.

John Abdulai Jinapor

It is now incontrovertibly established that the current load shedding (Dumsor) and unreliable supply of power to Ghanaians is as a result of the unreliable supply of power, and this is solely caused by the AkuffoAddo/Bawumia led NPP government inability to procure fuel for the nations available thermal plants.
Rather than chasing and causing the arrest of innocent ECG workers, the Minister must direct his frustration and anger at his own government particularly, Dr. Mahamoud Bawumiah who has supervised the mess done to Ghana’s economy.

Indeed, Ghana’s economy and its fundamentals are in a serious crisis to the extent that the Ghanaian Cedi is currently trading at GHS14 $1. This is having a multiplier effect on other economic indicators like the debt situation, and further exacerbating the energy sector challenges.

We, the minority, by this statement, wish to call on President Akuffo-Addo to call Mr. Osei Mensah to order immediately. Ghanaians will not tolerate such unruly and despotic behaviour from the Ashanti Regional Minister.
In fact if there is anybody to be arrested, it should be the Ashanti Regional for his monumental failure as the administrative head of the region.

We wish to assure all ECG staff and the general workers union that the Minority is solidly behind them and will not renege in our quest to ensure that justice is served them at all material times as they undertake their constitutionally mandated duty. We wish to caution the Ashanti Regional Minister and all his colleagues in government to stop intimidating genuine workers for doing their work and ensure that they fix the broken economy.

Thank you.

-Signed-

Hon. John Abdulai Jinapor-MP
(Ranking Member, Mines and Energy Committee)