Fellow at CDD-Ghana, Dr. Kwame Asiedu Sarpong, has urged the Ashanti Regional Minister, Hon. Simon Osei Mensah, to issue an unreserved apology for his recent inappropriate intervention in the operational matters of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
This intervention led to the wrongful arrest of Mark Asomani Wiafe, the General Manager of ECG’s Ashanti East region, after he refused to reconnect electricity services to the Kumasi Technical University due to its substantial unpaid bills.
Read also: https://starrfm.com.gh/2024/04/i-made-the-complaint-against-ashanti-regional-ecg-boss-regional-minister/
Dr. Sarpong emphasized that people tend to misuse the political power granted to them, which should never be the case.
He urged the Regional Minister to reconcile with ECG, stating, “The Regional Minister is just abusing the power we’ve vested in him; he should make peace with them.”
During an interview with Millicent Safo-Adu on Bresosem, Dr. Sarpong highlighted that the ECG is adhering to the conditions set by the IMF, including debt recovery.
He questioned why the Regional Minister intervened in the case of the Kumasi Technical University when disconnecting power at hospitals and Parliament did not cause public unrest.
“Due to the IMF’s conditions, the ECG is embarking on debt recovery. To date, they have been seen going to Parliament, educational institutions, and hospitals. Therefore, even if disconnecting the lights of these institutions does not cause public anxiety, why is it that when it comes to one university, the Regional Minister intervenes and goes to the police because they have been disconnected from the national grid?”, he quizzes.
Dr. Asiedu urged the Regional Minister to apologize to the ECG boss immediately, stating, “As the PUWU are saying, what the Regional Minister did was wrong. He should call the manager and apologize. To err is human.”
He further warned that if the Regional Minister fails to apologize and ECG staff decide to demonstrate in the region, there will be consequences.
A memo from the ECG Workers Union, intercepted by Kasapa News suggests that the Ashanti Regional ECG will hold a Red Wednesday protest on April 24, 2024, to express their displeasure with the Regional Minister’s actions. The memo reads, “RED WEDNESDAY AGAINST ASHANTI REGIONAL MINISTER.” Following the Regional Minister’s silence on the ECG staff’s request, all ECG staff, not just those in the Ashanti Region, will wear red to register their displeasure. Red flags will also be hoisted across all operational areas of ECG.
By: Kwadwo Owusu
