A Member of Parliament’s Mines and Energy Committee, Edward Bawa, has said that he would be happy if Electricity Company Ghana (ECG) disconnects the electricity supply to Parliament.
His comment follows a three-day ultimatum issued by the ECG to the Parliamentary Service and other state institutions to settle their indebtedness or risk being disconnected from the national grid.
Speaking on JoyNews Prime, on Friday, in reaction to the ECG’s notice, Mr Bawa said “government agencies and Ministries are the worst culprits when it comes to defaulting in payment for electricity services.”
“In fact, I will be very happy if tomorrow ECG disconnects Parliament,” he stated.
The Bongo MP reiterated that government agencies in the country must be put on the pre-paid meter to avoid such indebtedness.
“Why would UPSA not pay for using power? Why would the Ministry of Communications not pay?
“I understand for example maybe if you are to go to a hospital, I expect that maybe the theatres and other things should not be on pre-paid but they should be on credit meters. However, what explanation will you give for a Doctors flat being on a credit meter?” he quizzed
He said as a result of this refusal to pay for services rendered by the ECG, the Ministry of Energy set an example of subscribing to the pre-paid meter “so when they go and buy power and the power is exhausted, they go off.”
The ECG on Friday served disconnection notices to some institutions which have refused to pay for power consumed.
According to the power distribution company, the affected institutions owe it an amount close to GH¢70million and have failed to settle their debt despite several reminders.
The ECG stated that it will not spare any institution which fails to meet the deadline.
The following are the debts owed by some of the defaulting institutions:
Ministry of Communication owes – GH¢5,080,752.37
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – GH¢558,014.13
Internal Audit Agency – GH¢545,740.68
Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence – GH¢208,318.50
Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) – GH¢277,300.32
National Information Technology Agency (NITA) – GH¢1,543,113.68
University of Professional Studies (UPSA) – GH¢1,611,403.21
Mr Bawa, therefore, commended ECG for its work in disconnecting power at some public institutions over their indebtedness. He, however, stated that the exercise is long overdue.