Lawrence Kwami Aziale, Lecturer at UPSA
Lawrence Kwami Aziale, a lecturer in the Department of Information Technology Studies at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), has criticised the Minister of Energy- Designate and NDC Member of Parliament for the Yapei-Kusawgu constituency, John Abdulai Jinapor, over his comments about Ghana’s electricity challenges.
In a statement, Mr. Aziale dismissed what he described as excuses for the current challenges, attributing them to a lack of effective leadership. “A lazy man always finds excuses for why he could not perform his duties,” he said, directly addressing Mr. Jinapor.
‘Dumsor’
According to Mr. Aziale, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) inherited an erratic power supply, popularly known as ‘dumsor,’ from the Mahama-led administration. However, under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s leadership, he asserted, the problem was decisively tackled.
“The NPP inherited dumsor from this very Mahama government. Nana Addo faced it, fixed it, and kept the lights on for eight years,” he said. He also pointed to the administration’s energy policies as proof of its commitment to providing stable electricity.
Taking a direct swipe at Mr. Jinapor and the new Mahama’s government, the lecturer emphasised that governance demanded focus and responsibility.
“Please, governance is not a honeymoon affair, nor is it about playing romance with slay queens. Shut up and fix the problem, my friend!
“Crooks, they have started giving excuses. If you don’t have goodwill out there to credit fuel on your own ,you want the outgoing government to use theirs to credit fuel for you?,” he queried.
“You predicted power outages (‘dumsor’) would occur five hours after President Mahama’s swearing-in due to resource mismanagement by the previous government, yet this has not happened two days on. Are you still doing propaganda in government? Or was your prediction an attempt to attract attention for your energy Minister appointment? I think it’s time for you to remain focus and do the work we voted you for and avoid the propaganda as usual. Only time will tell,” he indicated.
Jinapor’s comments
Mr. Jinapor, in an interview with Joy News, indicated that Ghana had only five hours’ worth of fuel stock for the generation of power. He warned that the country faced a serious energy crisis. “I have bad news for you. As of today, the confirmation we are receiving is that we have only five hours’ worth of fuel left,” he said.
He claimed that the outgoing Nana-Addo-led government failed to purchase fuel despite repeated concerns and calls from the NDC transition team. He further added that the country’s current fuel supply for power generation would not last more than two days.
“If you look at the heavy fuel oil and diesel fuel, we don’t have enough to last two days. So, in two days’ time, we are likely to run out of fuel. This administration has not placed any fuel orders as we speak,” he claimed.
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