Some major state institutions risk being disconnected from power supply for failing to pay their electricity bills.
The institutions, including the Ministry of Finance, and Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), are said to owe the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) a total of GH¢421,038.02.
The ECG has recently been embarking on an aggressive revenue mobilisation drive to recover monies owed it by public and private institutions in the country.
The exercise, which is being undertaken by a taskforce headed by Steven Larbi Siaw, has already seen power supply to the Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL) and parts of the Kotoka International Airport (KIA), disconnected for owing over GH¢48 million.
The Accra Sports Stadium and La Palm Beach Hotel, indebted to the tune of GH¢508,087.37 and GH¢192,073.62 respectively, were not spared in the exercise.
Mr. Siaw, speaking with a local radio station, said public and private entities next in line for possible disconnections include, the Ghana Education Service, Ministry of Communications, and The Internal Audit Agency.
He thus asked the institutions to pay their debt or “we make sure that we disengage the supply for them to follow up to the office to talk to our leaders.”
Meanwhile, the Public Utility Workers Union (PUWU) is calling for the immediate removal of the Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Kwame Agyemang Budu.
According to the workers, Mr. Agyemang Budu has exhibited much incompetence, hence does not deserve to continue being in office.
Holding placards, the workers used several inscriptions to express their frustration at the leadership style of their MD.
“ECG is bleeding”, “Don’t impose this incompetent MD on ECG”, “Lack of electricity poles and cables”, and “acute shortage of meters”, among others were the inscriptions on the placards.
On Tuesday, the union made this appeal at a press conference at the Trades Union Building in Accra.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri