Electricity becomes a right when you are paying for it - ECG boss

The Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Samuel Dubik Mahama, challenged the notion that electricity consumption is an inherent right.

According to him, the consumption of electricity does not come as a right, rather it comes as a privilege.

To him, the privilege transforms into a right only when properly paid for.

The ECG is currently undertaking a nationwide meter audit aimed at investigating and verifying the correctness of the consumption of electricity by customers.

In an interview on The Hard Truth, the managing director highlighted the challenges faced by the ECG in managing the integrity of the metering system.

He pointed out instances where meters have been tampered with, resulting in inaccurate readings, and emphasised that some customers are not prioritizing their electricity bill payments.

“We walk around thinking it is our right to electricity. It is not a right, it is a privilege. It becomes a right when you are paying… but some are paying and others are not. Others have tempered with the metre, and it is not reading right. Someone has a prepaid meter for which he has been paying a certain amount every month, which is not possible.

“A lot of people do not prioritise paying their electricity bills,” he stated.

Ghana’s leading digital news platform, GhanaWeb, in conjunction with the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, is embarking on an aggressive campaign which is geared towards ensuring that parliament passes comprehensive legislation to guide organ harvesting, organ donation, and organ transplantation in the country.

[Electricity] becomes a right when you are paying [for it]. Highlights of the ECG boss’s interview on the Hard Truth with Akosua Konadu.#HardTruth pic.twitter.com/OOJCzTfMNg

— JoyNews (@JoyNewsOnTV) March 18, 2024