John Jinapor challenges Amewu’s ‘spurious’ claims about GH¢2.6bn energy debt

Member of Parliament (MP) for the Yapei-Kusawgu Constituency in the Savannah Region, John Abdulai Jinapor has accused the government of peddling falsehood about settling its indebtedness to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) amounting to some GH¢2.6 billion.

According to John Jinapor, an amount of GH¢234 million cash was handed over to the NPP administration in 2016 hence it is therefore false for the minister to claim that the NDC administration left nothing in terms of the debt in the energy sector.

John Jinapor was speaking at the back of the Energy Minister statement that suggest that the Akufo-Addo-led administration was confronted with a huge electricity indebtedness to the Electricity Company of Ghana, adding that as at December 2016 the total debt owed ECG by the government was GH¢2.63billion.

Speaking in an interview with GhanaWeb the former Deputy Energy Minister maintained that the claims are false as some cash was left for the Akufo-Addo administration before they left office in 2016.

"Let me put on record that Peter Amewu claims are false if you check from the ESLA prospective the audited accounts of the energy sector as compiled by the KPMG the amount that was attributable to ECG is about 2.1 billion. So how Mr Amewu is able to contrive an amount of 2.6 billion is only a figment of his imagination."

John Jinapor added that Energy SOEs which were performing well under the Mahama led administration is now deteriorating under the current administration as ECG made a loss of GH¢4.444 billion in its operation.

“Energy Sector SOEs have performed poorly under the Akufo-Addo’s watch. The sector has witnessed its worst performance. For example, from official records present to parliament by ECG, it is clear the Power Sector is on its knees and facing imminent collapse,” he said.