The Minister of Power, Dr Kwebena Donkor has expressed his disgust at the recent vandalism of Volta River Authority (VRA) complains offices in Tamale by some angry youth. The vandalism of the complaint office the power minister said was distasteful and does not speak well for the people in the northern region.
Some angry youth earlier this month attacked the power distributor to protest against persistent power outage in their area and in the process vandalized some properties. But Dr Donkor in respond to the act said he will not hesitate to relocate Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCO) head office from Tamale Techiman if the vandalism and attacks on NEDCO’s properties continued. “I absolutely will have no regret doing it ; the era of vandalism particularly in Tamale must come to end; we will not accept this in the power sector and in any sector’’ the visible angry Dr Donkor stated.
The minister has since directed the Northern Regional Minister through Regional Security Committee (REGSEC) to ensure that those who carried out the act are arrested and prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others.
The minister who was out of the country at time of the incident said, “If I had been in the country, I would have order that, the whole of Tamale be put off for a week”.
The power minister state this when he commissioned a state of the art worth 13.74 million dollars or 52.6 Ghana cedis Japanese power grant project NEDCO substation in Nyakpala in the Tolon district.
He appealed to the traditional rulers in Tamale to call the recalcitrant youth to other in other that they do not tarnish the people in the region image.
On the current power crises, Dr Donkor reiterated his ministries and its aligned agencies commitment in resolving the problem. He assured that the sector agencies are working hard to end the power crises by the end of this year.
Government he said recognizes the effects the problem has on business in the country and will live up to its commitment to ending the problem.
According to Dr Donkor, the state is bent in ensuring that the country achieve sufficient power supply by 2020 but the people also the obligation to pay their bills.
The power minister made passionate appeal to the people in the northern region to pay their electricity bills to enable Electricity Company to provide adequate electricity.
He said the people in Northern, Upper East, Upper West and parts of Brong Ahafo regions has the responsibility to honor their obligations while they demand for adequate power supply.
The Chief Representatives of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) office in Ghana, Koji Makino assured that Japanese government commitment to assisting Ghana in the power sector and other interventions.
Mr Koji said eleven thousand people (11,000) will benefit directly from the primary NEDCO substation and 675,000 people indirectly.
The Deputy Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji A.B.A Fuseini said the project will help established power supply in the region and reduce the low voltage problems. The project will see accelerated socio-economic development in the Tolon district.
Alhaji A.B.A Fuseini believes the substation will help NEDCO connect more houses to the national grid. He urged Management of NEDCO to make ensure they take judicious care of the facility.
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