The Member of Parliament for Ofoase Ayirebi, Honorable Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, has asserted that the government has not made public accounts of the one-cedi petroleum levy that was implemented to help solve the energy sector crisis.
He opined that the government has shifted the blame for the ongoing power crisis from the main issue and diverted attention to other factors. He noted that initially, the government placed the blame on transformer replacement as the cause of the power outages.
Secondly, they blamed the issue on maintenance, later on, to blame the NPP for the fire at the Akosombo power plant, and lastly, some NDC members claim the NPP is sabotaging them.
He opined that when the NPP was leaving office, there was a constant supply of electricity. “We handed over a power sector that was stable,” he said. He reaffirmed that, during the tenure of the NPP, an Energy Sector Recovery program was implemented to handle the energy sector crisis.
Students Unable To Prepare For Exams Because Of Dumsor
Hon. Kojo Nkrumah stated that there are a lot of educational institutions in his constituency, among them are eighty-seven basic education schools, and a total of twenty-one thousand BECE candidates from these schools. He explained that the students are unable to learn and prepare for their exams because of the “dumsor.”
He further highlighted that, in addition to the basic schools are ten senior high schools that have students in them as well. He argued that students do not get electricity to learn and prepare for their exams because of the power disruptions.
He further emphasized the impact of the power instability on small-scale industries such as cold stores, hairdressers, and seamstresses. He noted that the power crisis is gravely affecting their income and poses a threat to their businesses.
He warned that the government should not make light of the issues at hand, saying” this government should not trivialize it” and that it is a “very serious matter”.
He asserted that, even without Akosombo, the country should have enough power; the assertion that there is an issue with the installed generation capacity is not true, he said. He attributed the problem to “lack of strategy”.
He stressed the fact that the government has not provided accounts for the Energy Sector Recovery Program, which was implemented under the Akuffo-Addo-led government. “This government is running away from accountability on the one-cedi dumsor levy,” he said.
He said, ever since parliament passed the bill, for every thousand cedis worth of fuel being purchased, eighty-three cedis goes to the government as a levy. He points out that no accounts have been made by the government concerning the use of the money.
“We don’t know which account it’s been kept in, we don’t know who is collecting it, and no report has been made before parliament on this dumsor levy.”
Hon. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, MP for Ofoase Ayirebi
The one-cedi per liter levy, he believes, is not accounted for even after citizens have paid it for more than a year. He acknowledged the fact that even though there has been a fire at the Akosombo power station, which is indisputable, it is not the main cause of the frequent power outages.
“Dumsor” Outages Existed Before the Akosombo Station Fire
Hon. Kojo Nkrumah stressed the power outages that existed long before the Akosombo power station issues. He said the government is blaming the instability of power on other issues, which, to him, are not the real cause.
He agreed with the need to assess the fire outbreak and find out the exact cause to prevent it from happening again. Measures he believes must be put in place to prevent future occurrences. Yet, he will not allow the assumption that it is the cause of the power crisis.
“It cannot be the reason alone,” he said. The Akosombo power station fire cannot solely be responsible for the “dumsor”. He reiterated the negative impact of the power crisis on business, schools, and hospitals.
He recounted maternity wards undergoing delivery of women using torchlights in 2016 under President Mahama. He argues the government is not giving a timetable to serve as a guide for homes and business owners to guard their operations, which isn’t helping matters.
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