Gov’t Fixing Power Cuts …While Saboteurs Attack Energy Minister

While government is working around the clock to find an immediate and lasting solution to the recent power situation in the country, a group of professional naysayers are pointing accusing fingers at the Minister of Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh and blaming him for the challenges that existed before he was appointed to the Ministry barely two months ago.

Interestingly, the attacks are not only from rivals from political parties but also from some particular elements within the elephant-family he belongs who are either acting on purposeful mischief or are pretending have fallen for the propaganda that the Energy Minister is the cause of the age-long-challenge he inherited two months ago.

The Energy Minister has explained the ongoing challenge is more of a technical one and not due to lack of money as being speculated but it seems his critics have a script they have decided to stick to.

“The current power challenges in the country are not due to power generation or fuel shortages, but rather due to technical issues. I further clarified that none of the current challenges are due to government owing any entity, and that Ghana has put in place mechanisms where every generator, transmitter and distributor of electricity is paid something regularly.

We are also introducing a gas clearing house where funds will be made available to the suppliers of fuel for our generators”, Dr. Opoku Prempeh explained last Thursday at a press conference organized by the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) Ltd at the Ministry of Information to address the challenge.

Fortunately, he is focused on rectifying the challenges rather than getting swayed by ugly noises from vitriolic tongues because before the Thursday briefing, the Energy Minister had summoned the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) over the matter of finding an immediate and lasting solution.

“I summoned a meeting of the IPPs in my office yesterday to request the maintenance schedules for their power plants. These schedules will help in providing adequate and timely information to the public, should these planned mandatory maintenances affect power supply. The public will in due course be updated on which plants will be in maintenance, when they are scheduled to be maintained and any effects as a result of these essential works”, the Minister explained.

STAY CALM
Kofi Ofosu Nkansah, Chief Executive of the Accra Digital Center has added his voice and asked that Ghanaians exercise patience and stay calm as the challenge is being solved.

“Even 10 minutes of power outage is not pleasant (the heat alone) so we all appreciate the frustrations with the recent outages but can we give the new Energy Minister sometime to solve the problems? But we have even been told the interruptions are as a result of some ongoing enhancement projects.

“Ministers were sworn in barely a month ago. He will need some time to complete the ongoing enhancement projects which is affecting power supply. Some yaanom are just hoping for dumsor equalization but 3nfa. Dumsor was Nationwide. This is only in parts of Greater Accra and Ashanti and it will be fixed. Trust the competent Napo to deliver”, Ofosu Nkansah noted on his Facebook wall.

KUMASI SUPPORT
Meanwhile some residents of the Ashanti Region, especially Kumasi, have expressed confidence in the capabilities of Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, to find a solution to the power cuts,

In this regard, scores of people domiciling in the boisterous Garden City have declared their unflinching support for Dr. Prempeh nicknamed as ‘Napo’ to implement the needed measures and policies in order to ensure uninterrupted power supply across the country.

According to them, Napo, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Manhyia South Constituency in Kumasi, has proven to be a ‘problem solver’ and an ‘accomplisher’ ever since he emerged in the Ghanaian political landscape in January 2009.

They therefore said if indeed the country has any power challenges now, then they are sure that Napo is the right person, blessed with the requisite knowledge and vision to solve the problem at hand to help ensure consistent power supply to support local industry.

Checks made by THE THUNDER in the 15 other regions in the country, indicated that a sizable number of the people also share similar views, regarding Napo’s capabilities to bring the needed renaissance to make the Energy sector the envy of all very soon.

NAPO CAME TO MEET DUMSOR
Most of the people that spoke to THE THUNDER during a vox-pop, said they believe that there is a problem with the power supply in the country, pointing out that even before Napo was appointed as Energy Minister, there was constant power cuts in the state.

“Two months before Napo was appointed as Energy Minister, we were experiencing consistent power cuts, therefore we realized then that all was not well with our power situation”, Nana Kwaku Manu, a resident of Buokrom, said to the paper.

According to him, Napo has nothing to do with the power problems in the country as he only came into office to meet the problem, stressing that “but we know Napo, as noted of him, is competent and hardworking, so he will solve the power problem very soon”.

Nana Achiaa Adusei Poku, a resident of Adiebeba in Kumasi, also said “we have been experiencing Dumsor in Kumasi and its environs two months before Napo was appointed as Energy Minister, but I have confidence in him to solve the problem at hand.

“President Nana Akufo-Addo did well by appointing Napo as the Energy Minister now because he is the right person, endowed with the necessary expertise and knowledge to solve the power crisis and all other problems at the energy sector, to ensure constant power supply”.