The Concerned Citizens of Kroboland has urged the Electricity Company of Ghana to restore power supply to communities that have accepted the prepaid meters.

According to the group, it is worried about the weeks of prolonged blackout in the Lower Manya and Yilo Krobo districts of the Eastern Region. It revealed that the threats to the lives of the ECG engineers were only issued by Kpongunor, a community which is less than 6 percent of the entire population in Kroboland.

Contained in a statement issued by its Commissioner, S.K Tettey, the group condemned the wrong impression being created in the media that all customers in Kroboland are against the move by the state’s power-distribution company.

“We call on ECG to restore power supply to the communities that have accepted the prepaid meters whiles it takes steps to settle its scores with the recalcitrant community.”
Concerned Citizens of Kroboland

The Concerned Citizens of Kroboland indicated that the “Lower Manya and Yilo Krobo districts have a combined population of about 243,000” people who need the installation to take place. It explained that the installation of the prepaid meters have been welcomed by all the densely populated towns which form the economic hub for both districts.

“Residents of Kpong and Somanya, which are the most populated towns in Lower Manya and Yilo Krobo respectively, have cooperated with ECG engineers on the installation of prepaid meters and have since been buying and using prepaid credit.”
Concerned Citizens of Kroboland

People in communities plunged in darkness

The group iterated that that Kpongunor, is “a minor community of the entire population of Kroboland” and must not be the reason for the reluctance of ECG to undertake the installation.

“It is, however, unfortunate that the rejection of the prepaid meters by this minor community in Lower Manya Krobo is the grounds on which ECG has pulled off the plugs thereby plunging the entire Krobo area into darkness for over 14 days.”
Concerned Citizens of Kroboland

The situation, the group emphasized, is affecting not only livelihoods but also local businesses. As such, Kpongunor should be dealt with separately.

It will be recalled that the areas have been plunged in darkness since Wednesday, July 27, 2022, because Electricity Company Ghana switched off feeders supplying power to communities in the two municipalities over illegal connections and disagreement over bills.

Staff of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) have refused to work in the two districts, citing safety concerns after a programme to re-install prepaid metres in households was violently resisted.

Prior to this, the Managing Director of Electricity Company Ghana, Samuel Mahama, justified the disconnection of power supply to the Yilo and Manya Krobo municipalities. He stated that the disconnection was in place as people “walk around thinking that it is our right to electricity”.

Mr Mahama noted that being connected on the grid “is not a right but it is a privilege”.

“If I can chase people in Fadama to pay their bill by giving them prepaid, I should be able to do the same thing in Manya Krobo. If I can ask the people in Dansoman to pay bills through prepaid I should be able to do that in Yilo Krobo.”
Samuel Mahama