Dumsor: Ghanaians were vitriolic against Mahama – Bridget Otoo

Bridget Otoo, a former staff of TV3, says the current power outages that Ghanaians are experiencing is dumsor but because it is the administration of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and not John Dramani Mahama, they are afraid to describe it as such, hence different interpretations to it.

Speaking on Starr FM on Wednesday, April 21, 2021, she stated that during the time of John Dramani Mahama’s administration, Ghanaians were “vitriolic” against Mahama.

“People were vitriolic…people lost their businesses when dumsor was happening under John Mahama and he took responsibility and fixed it; that’s what leadership is about; that’s the difference between John Mahama and Nana Addo.

“John Mahama will take responsibility and fix it, Nana Addo is not aware, uninformed, misled and that’s it. He never ever takes responsibility. Leadership is about taking responsibilities,” Bridget Otoo explained.

She claims that Ghanaians do not appreciate people who are honest because if they do, they would have voted for John Dramani Mahama who during the 2020 campaign stated that when he comes, he will be doing things differently.

“Mahama has been on several platforms and said there are so many things he will do differently, that’s leadership. It takes an honest leader…, I think we also don’t like people who are honest and people who bared their hearts out…,” Otoo said.

She indicated the excuses that the experts are giving to run away from the fact that what we are experiencing is not dumsor, is shameful.

“Isn’t it shameful that as a country, 64-years, that we would have to be in dumsor to fix our lines…? The fact we would have to be in dumsor, to fix the line is a blatant lie…I think people are upset and the President has lost goodwill in people and it showed in the last elections; I mean if they have any goodwill, they’ve lost it,” Otoo explained.

She added, “People are upset [but] people are afraid to speak up…”

Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the Energy Minister, has refuted the assertion that the energy sector is in a financial crisis thus contributing to the power outage.

Speaking to the media during his visit to GRIDCo, he added that, the current system upgrade is responsible for the intermittent power outage.

“As far as we can see, the projects is an ongoing project and so it is not about finances, it’s just like when you are renovating your house, sometimes it’s more complicated and expensive than even building a new house,” he said.

He said, the power crisis “is not a generation problem, this is not about fuel, so how could it be ‘dumsor’? Dumsor is planned and the timetable is rolled out and it affected the whole country for four years. Is that what we are seeing? No.

“This our lines that we have just been informed have been there from 1950, some from 1965. The power it was supposed to transmit, Accra has expanded tremendously so they are given us power or lines that can improve the power situation in Accra. What we are implementing is the best for them [Ghanaians].”

Subsequently, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has released the power outages timetable for Greater Accra for the month of May 2021, due to ongoing construction works in the power sector especially at the Pokuase Bulk Supply Point.

ECG in a statement indicated that, the project will require a complete shutdown of the 330kv transmission line thereby affecting power supply and reliability to the Mallam Bulk Supply Point.

"As part of projects to improve power supply reliability and system voltages, the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) in collaboration with the Electricity Company of Ghana will undertake interruptions in power supply to facilitate the work of contractors at various stages and times.

"In this regard, the Pokuase Bulk Supply Point (BSP) which is near completion and sponsored by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) under the auspices of the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) will require a tie into GRIDCo's 330kv transmission line," the statement read.

The tie-in works, ECG said, will take eight days from Monday, May 10 to Monday, May 17, 2021, and will affect the power supply to some customers in the North-Eastern parts of Accra.