“We, as a people of Lower Manya Krobo NPP, stand by the people of the Kroboland and until the last customer or consumer of power in Lower Manya is served justice on overbilling, wrongful billing and rightful accumulated bills we will continue to stand by them and fight for them,” the NPP in Lower Manya Krobo announced at a press conference on Monday, 27 May 2019.
The NPP General Secretary for the Constituency, Mr Goldman Awuku Dodzi, told journalists at the press conference that: “We are not saying we will not pay electricity bills because it was built on our land. We also have a water treatment plant built on our land [and] no single Krobo complained that they will not pay water bill. We have been paying water bill and we have been paying electricity bills and our forefathers paid, our fathers paid, we are paying and our children that will follow us will also pay. The only thing we will not pay are overbillings, wrongful billings and then unconsumed power billed us”.
Violence erupted last week between the residents of Krobo and the police during a mass disconnection exercise that was being undertaken by PDS staff.
One person died from the riots necessitating talks for a peaceful resolution to the matter.
During the melee, the Eastern Regional Minister, Eric Kwakye Darfour, asked Krobos to cut off their power supply if they have refused to pay their bills.
“We are all Ghanaians, we are all human beings, and we don’t want anybody to be mistreated. People should feel free and go about their duties legitimately. If you feel you cannot pay for electricity, cut it off”, he said, adding that: “It is optional”, and “the only thing that universally is free in Ghana now is Free SHS not electricity bill”.
“Everybody, the rich and poor, you have to pay for electricity. Fuel has never been for free whether it is firewood or charcoal or solar or anything it is never free”, Mr Darfour said.
The Lower Manya NPP arm, however, said at the press conference that the minister must apologise for his comment.
“Per our culture, I cannot apologise on behalf of the minister when he is alive. I will throw that to the minister to come out and apologise to the good people of the Kroboland. I don’t know what briefing he had before he made that particular statement,” Mr Dodzi said.
He said: “Probably, he [Minister] said that on the lighter side of things and knowing the media how they are and the way they capture their stories, sensational headlines, that sort of things. So, I cannot speak for the minister… because I have never had any briefing from the minister to know what actually went into making that particular statement.
“But the only appeal I will make to the regional minister is for him to come and apologise unreservedly to the good people of Kroboland”.
Source: Ghana/ClassFMonline.com/9.3FM
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