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Gabby Fires Mahama Over Funding Demands For ECG

Daily Guide

Fri 17th Apr, 2020 08:00

John Mahama

A leading member of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, has lambasted former President John Mahama for asking government to make funds available to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

He said Mahama’s suggestion was misplaced looking at his track record.

On Thursday, April 16, in a speech to deliver food items to 20,000 households in the Greater Accra and Greater Kumasi areas as relief packages over the Coronavirus lockdown, asked the President, Nana Akufo-Addo-led NPP government to ensure it funds ECG.

That, he urged, was to enable the electricity company provide uninterrupted power during the period of the fight against COVID-19.

According to Mr Mahama,
“Considering the new cases being discovered, it is clear that we are entering a new phase where there is the beginning of a horizontal spread of the disease.”

“This requires us to redouble our efforts in the battle against the pandemic,” he added.

The former President urged “In other for us the people of Ghana to realize the needed benefit from the subsidies on electricity tariffs and water announced, I ask the President to assure and fund ECG and the power producers to enable them to discharge their duties without interruption.”

But in response, Mr Otchere-Darko, wrote on his official Facebook page, reminding Mr Mahama about how his NDC government caused unprecedented electricity crisis in Ghana leading to the collapse of several businesses even when there was no coronavirus emergency.

He told Mr Mahama that “In 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016, you had no Covid-19 to significantly disturb economic activity.”

“What you had was the longest dumsor in Ghana’s history, which significantly disturbed economic activity,” he told the former President who is seeking a comeback to power.

Mr Otchere-Darko further told Mr Mahama “and, why did we have dumsor? Mainly because ECG, Gridco, VRA, were woefully underfunded and highly indebted.”

He added that “so yes, the former President knows exactly what he’s talking about when he offers suggestions that this government should make sure it funds ECG adequately to avoid dumsor.”

According to him, Mr Mahama knows the consequences of his own inadequacies, adding that “good advice from one who has been there, done it and all.”