NPP communicators sound like they've set a trap for Mahama - Osei Kwame Griffiths

A former Chief Executive Officer of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Osei Kwame Griffiths, has criticised some communicators of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for their recent remarks about the country's power generation challenges, suggesting that they are setting a trap for the John Dramani Mahama-led government.

Speaking on Joy Prime on Friday, January 10, 2025, he pointed out that some phrases used by NPP communicators, such as 'keep the lights on, let's see,' are designed to paint the government as incompetent.

Osei Kwame Griffiths argued that the situation is being manipulated to create a negative narrative about the new administration's ability to address the power sector's challenges.

"And you see the pronouncements by a lot of these NPP communicators. 'Keep the lights on, let's see,' 'Mahama is coming back with dumsor', those kinds of communications are making it appear as though somebody has set this trap to make it look as if the incoming government is incompetent, you know, and therefore cannot keep the lights on, when in actual fact, you know, the timeline for preparation is very clear that they had dropped the ball. They failed in their responsibility to make sure that we have enough fuel," he noted.

Speaking after the inauguration of President John Dramani Mahama in Accra, on Tuesday, January 7, 2024, the Member of Parliament for Yapei Kusawgu, John Jinapor, disclosed that the country’s fuel stock was low, with only five hours of fuel remaining.

“I have bad news for you. The confirmation we are getting is that we have only five hours of fuel stock. If you look at heavy fuel oil and diesel fuel, we don’t have up to two days, and so in two days’ time, we are likely to run out of fuel,” he stated.

He further criticised the outgoing administration for its failure to procure necessary fuel supplies, leaving the incoming administration in a vulnerable position.

“This administration has not ordered any fuel as we speak, and it takes on average four weeks for the fuel to arrive and four weeks for the fuel to be treated, and so we are in a very serious situation,” he added.

John Jinapor, who has now been nominated as Minister of Energy-designate, also pointed out that during the transition, the outgoing administration had assured them that fuel parcels had been procured.

However, checks indicated there is not enough fuel to last even two days.

“Today, right after President Mahama assumed office and I served on the transition, my checks indicate that we do not have fuel that can cater for even two days, and so clearly we have a major, major problem,” he emphasised.

Meanwhile, President John Dramani Mahama has reiterated his administration’s commitment to resolving the country's energy challenges and preventing a resurgence of frequent power outages, popularly referred to as 'dumsor.'

Speaking at the National Convention of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission Ghana on Thursday, January 9, 2025, he acknowledged the critical energy issues facing the country and emphasised the government’s resolve to tackling them.

“We are assuming office at a critical time in our nation’s history. Ghana is faced with significant challenges. But that is exactly the reason why you elected us. We will transparently let you understand what those challenges are, and we will take responsibility for solving them," he noted.

JKB/AE

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