Member of Parliament for Builsa South, Dr. Clement Apaak, has expressed shock at the revelation that the resignation of Samuel Dubik Mahama as Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) was linked to a dispute over fuel procurement for power generation within the energy sector.
The Ranking Member on the Energy Committee of Parliament, John Abdulai Jinapor, has alleged that Mr. Dubik Mahama resigned due to resistance to efforts to bypass the cash waterfall mechanism, which played a significant role in his decision to step down.
Jinapor claimed that the ongoing procurement of light crude oil for power generation, which costs Ghana around $40 million per month, has caused growing tensions.
He said from the narrations given by his colleague MP and other experts in the energy sector, it is obvious there is a cabal that is profiting at the expense of Ghanaians at the ECG.
He cited the PDS scandal, which caused the country $190 million, as an example of the scandals that hit the ECG without any form of probe by the government, where a condition precedent was changed to a condition subsequent and a bank guarantee was also changed to an insurance guarantee under the auspices of the office of the Vice President, and yet, we are today confronted with such evidence about what intent and purposes can be described as high-level corruption where the people of this country are being duped by people who are supposed to protect us and enhance our conditions of living.
The lawmaker referenced the indebtedness of the government to the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) of $2 billion and the monthly revenue shortfalls of over 1 million Ghana cedis, highlighting the dire condition of the state-owned company.
He said the ongoing procurement of light crude oil for power generation, which costs Ghana around $40 million per month, is being executed by crony companies at the expense of the taxpayer when it could have been achieved through cheaper natural gas.
Speaking in a media interview, Dr. Apaak questioned why an ECG-tested power app would be abandoned for an app that is untested, which was supposed to improve revenue, but it turned out the ECG was losing revenue after moving on to the new application.
He also exclaimed over the allegations that the contract was for 30 years, stating that the only solution to stop this is to give the ruling government the ‘’red card’’ by voting them out, emphasising that the challenges confronting ECG and its shortfalls have direct involvement of those at the highest level of decision-making.
He said there are clear cases of potential corruption, inefficient resource allocation and waste, conflict of interest, and a lack of transparency and accountability.
Dr. Apaak averred that before the NPP took over, ECG was making profit, and those in charge of affairs today are there to loot state resources for their own and private and personal gain.
He requested a rigorous audit of the ECG, stressing the importance of a detailed inquiry and transparent procurement practices for the new app, which was procured solely by the government, despite assurances that sole sourcing would cease, and observing that the NPP has surpassed previous administrations in awarding sole-sourced contracts.
He assured Ghanaians that a new NDC government will conduct an audit, investigate, and ensure a transparent procurement process and put in place measures to optimise energy sourcing and pricing strategies and promote good governance and accountability.
He maintained that those managing the country must be held responsible for the crisis facing the ECG and called for those behind the app, how they were selected, and the beneficiary owners. These are questions Ghanaians are demanding answers to.
‘’It is about 80 days to an election, and Ghanaians have a choice to continue with this broadday light theft of our collective resources by a few greedy and selfish individuals or to cause a change so we can hold them accountable. They must be accountable. I am so frustrated, but the day of reckoning is coming. This is terrible. There is no other way to put it,’’ he concluded.
Source: rainbowradioonline.com
