Go for 'Father Christmas' US Embassy bills! - Balado urges ECG

A former Member of Parliament (MP) for Ahafo Ano South, Stephen Kwaku Balado Manu, has criticised the Electricity of Ghana (ECG) after the US Embassy in Ghana revealed that it had not been billed for two years for power consumed.

The US Embassy has indicated that funds owed the company are ready and has been chasing the power distributor for months to serve them with bills to no avail.

Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko at the National Policy Summit which ended on Tuesday May 16 also reiterated the claims by the embassy.

However, the comments infuriated the Public Utilities Workers Union (PUWU). PUWU said the Minister’s comments, “are very much regrettable, and as workers of the company, we find it very unfortunate that at such a critical stage in the life of ECG, the sector Minister will make such sweeping statements”.

In a statement signed by PUWU General Secretary Michael Adumatta Nyantakyi, the Union said “the assertion that ECG’s debt stock appears to be worsening by the day due to its faulty metering system and avoidable employee recklessness is not supported by the facts”.

Concerning the assertion that the US Embassy demands bills and ECG has not been able to provide the Embassy with bills is also “very strange because as far we know to date, the US Embassy does not owe ECG in terms of bills”.

For them, if the embassy were not receiving bills “would they have paid all their indebtedness till date?” adding: “So this is a statement we find very unfortunate and ask the Minister to provide further details.”

Commenting on the issue on Citi FM’s The Big Issue on Saturday May 20, Mr Manu said: “If I am to choose, I will believe the American Embassy because who will want to say ‘I owe’ when he does not owe? It does not make grassroots common sense.”

He, however, emphasised: “Even if he [the US Ambassador] does not owe and he wants to be Father Christmas by giving us money, do you fight him? Go for the money!”

He explained that ECG would need to resolve the issue by crosschecking its books “because there may be a mix-up somewhere”