William K. Asare Fuseini Adjei addressing journalists
STAFFS OF the Volta River Authority (VRA) and the NEDCo in all the five (5) operational areas of NEDCo have called on Osmani Aludiba Ayuba, Managing Director of NEDCo, to voluntarily resign or be removed from office by the NEDCo Board of Directors.
The angry NEDCo/VRA staff accused the Managing Director of failing to improve the company’s financial situation.
“Our finances from 2019 to date has is worse in fact out cash flow is terribly bad to the extent that we are unable to pay our third parties (contractors). In Bolgatanga, our contractors went on strike because work they have done for NEDCo from January-December 2022, we are not able to pay and so that is how bad the situation is.”
They also accused the Managing Director of incompetence saying it has resulted in the company losing revenue.
“Everybody knows that prepaid meters aid in revenue mobilisation but the whole of last year no single prepaid meter was deployed but rather, the meters we removed were the ones we were washing and cleaning to give back to our customers and so that is the state of NEDCo.”
The Staff Groups Leadership of VRA/NEDCo has since submitted a petition to the NEDCo Board of Directors.
The Board engaged the appointing authority but failed to address their demand for Mr. Osmani Ayuba to be removed.
William K. Asare Fuseini Adjei, Chairman, NEDCo/VRA Divisional Union, told journalists that all staff are embarking on partial withdrawal of services except emergency and power vending effective Wednesday February 8, 2023 for failure of the board to remove the Managing Director.
According to him, the partial withdrawal of services except emergency and power vending indicting that staff will report to the office and carry out office assignments. Staff will not go out to attend to any fault/issue except emergency; and emergency includes broken conductors, broken pole, transformer on fire, pole burning, among others, just to remove the Managing Director.
Meanwhile, management of NEDCo/VRA, has confirmed that the aggrieved staff have sent a petition to NEDCo Board demanding the removal of the Managing Director.
Management, however, stated that the board, in collaboration with the Minister of Energy, is addressing the matter noting that upon scrutiny of the allegations and the respective responses to them by management, the Board will make an informed decision in the best interest of NEDCo.
Management, however, has urged all stakeholders (internal and external) to desist from any actions or inactions that will jeopardise the processes that have been activated by the NEDCo Board for an amicable resolution of the impasse.
FROM Eric Kombat, Tamale