Energy Crises: Mahama should seek help from Kufuor – Prof. Ocquaye

A former Energy Minister in the erstwhile Kufuor administration, Professor Mike Ocquaye has advised President Mahama and the ruling NDC government to go to former President John Agyekum Kufuor for the best solution to end the energy crises.

According to the former MP for Dome-Kwabenya Constituency, the energy crises will go worst if President Mahama does not buy crude oil for the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) to start processing for finished products than to rely on finished products from outside.

Speaking on Okay FM’s Ade Akye Abia Morning Show, Professor Ocquaye insisted that the immediate solution to the energy crises is for the NDC government to buy crude oil; advising that the ruling government should go to former President Kufuor.

The former Ambassador to India bemoaned the lack of leadership and knowledge in President Mahama to device means of managing the energy crises as former President Kufuor was able to arrange with Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria to get the country crude oil every day.

“If TOR is working, then NDC should immediately go to President Kufuor for advice. What Kufuor made us to do was that we had crude oil every day and whatever he had to do, he made sure there was crude oil for power. He made arrangement with Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria to get us crude oil for our energy situation. We had 30 to 120 days crude oil credit and the crude kept coming in to help the country and that was through his leadership and knowledge.

“We were able to manage the energy crises in the country when the crude oil was around $140 per barrel but now at $40 per barrel, NDC cannot manage it. There is no oil to generate the capacity the Thermal needs because there is no money...what is important for the NDC government is to buy the finished products and so instead of using one ship to buy crude oil, they spend money to rather buy the 4 finished products with 4 ships,” he chided.

He maintained that the NDC government lacks the good governance, the good system and the good policy to manage the energy crises; reiterating that the energy crises will worsen if there is no discipline in the fiscal management of the country.

He however urged the NDC government to make new measures and quickly for the “cataleptic tractors” which they have abandoned to deteriorate after President Kufuor had spent state fortunes to buy them.