The Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has disclosed that he has received calls requesting that they halt the process of disconnecting customers that they are currently undertaking in order to collect unpaid debts.
Samuel Dubik Mahama claims that the calls he has received come from friends, influential people, and politicians.
The question that was posed, according to him, was “Can you hold off?”
This information was divulged by the CEO of ECG during an appearance on PM Express, which aired on JoyNews on Tuesday.
The power company carried out a massive disconnection operation on Monday in an effort to collect a debt of GH5.7 billion. This comes as a result of that.
ECG gave its customers the option to pay up or risk having their power supply severed.
The company claims that it faces the possibility of going out of business if it is unable to settle an outstanding debt of one billion dollars owed to various Independent Power Producers (IPP), which is the reason for the revenue mobilization drive.
Mr. Mahama believes that the consequences for the ECG would be severe if the exercise were to be halted.
“What is the best way to compensate the independent power producers?” How do we pay GRIDCO? How do we pay VRA? It is the responsibility of everyone involved.
“Please, let's just do the right thing because after sending somebody out of the office, I don't even have the moral right to pick up the phone and call him and say, “Hello, can you cut X, Y, and Z slack?' “If that is the case, then what is the point of the activity?” he questioned.
In the meantime, the head of the ECG has stated that the ongoing revenue mobilization exercise that the ECG is carrying out is not driven by political considerations.
Concerns that the activity is being directed at the political base of one party or another, as voiced by Samuel Dubik Mahama, are without merit and ought to be treated with the utmost contempt, according to Mahama.
He was very clear that he had no intention of using his position or mandate for political purposes.
“I no longer consider myself to be someone who engages in politics; rather, I consider myself to be a technocrat.” Politicizing the work that is being done by this office would be the worst possible decision we could make.
“Therefore, in my opinion, the color of your electricity bill does not indicate a festive occasion…
That thing that's red, gold, and green with a black star in the middle is your electricity bill, and it looks like that. Believe what I say because, as I've already stated, the current situation is perfectly equitable,” he said.
