The ECG's office with “Bring Back Our MD” flyers
Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) Managing Director, Reverend William Hutton-Mensah, has been fired by President John Dramani Mahama in the face of the protracted power crisis.
A statement from the Flagstaff House, signed by Chief of Staff, Prosper Bani, headed, 'President makes changes at the Electricity Company of Ghana', indicated that Rev Hutton- Mensah was to be reassigned, a decision that has already sparked agitations among the rank and file of the staff.
The agitating staff said Rev Hutton-Mensah is being made a sacrificial lamp to cover up the rot in the power sector, which their embattled boss knew nothing about.
The statement also announced the appointment of Robert Dwamena, who is the ECG's Director of Procurements, as acting Managing Director of the beleaguered company.
According to the statement, President Mahama also asked the Omanhene of Abeadze and President of the Central Regional House of Chiefs, Daasebre Kwebu Ewusi VII, who is a board member, to act as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the ECG following the resignation of businessman Tony Oteng Gyasi on health grounds.
The statement said Rev Hutton-Mills, who is on his annual leave, would report to the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum for reassignment.
The acting MD reportedly started his career with the Engineering Directorate of the company in 1982.
The country has been going through perennial power crisis since 2012, reaching an unbearable level in recent times with no timetable for load shedding in place. Many have criticised the government's handling of the situation.
Struggle
The nation's power producer, Volta River Authority (VRA), as well as distributors—Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) and ECG—have been struggling to meet the generation targets needed for industries, businesses and homes in the country.
According to a source at the ECG, the President has fired the 'wrong person' because the company is not responsible for producing power.
'The ECG simply does not have the power to distribute.
It is the duty of the VRA to produce for us to distribute through GRIDCo; and I think the MD's reassignment is very unfortunate,' a concerned staff said.
Tariff Increment
Despite the inability to produce sufficient power to meet the country's energy needs, the government has been increasing electricity tariffs, often with the tacit support of the regulator, Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC), to the chagrin of consumers.
The water level in the Akosombo Dam, which turns the turbines in Ghana's biggest hydro plant—with an installed capacity of 1020 megawatts—has also been reducing steadily.
VRA currently produces only 775 megawatts and the deficit of about
1000 megawatts has compelled the ECG to release a load shedding timetable which is not followed, thereby throwing power supply into disarray.
Debt
The VRA is also believed to be heavily indebted to creditors of crude oil in the region of about $150 million.
This is making it difficult to get crude to power the thermal plants at Tema and Aboadze in the Greater Accra and the Western Regions respectively.
'Bring Back Our Boss'
Angry workers of the Avenor office of ECG joined hundreds of staff who were agitating for the reinstatement of the managing director of the company.
The protest came just hours after Rev Ing. William Hutton-Mensah was relieved of his position.
The decision to sack the MD has angered some workers of the ECG at Tema and Avenor offices.
The workers, particularly those at the Avenor office, are hoisting red flags with banners demanding the reinstatement of Hutton-Mensah.
ECG officials have become easy targets of angry, sometimes violent, protestations by residents in Accra and Kumasi.
Over the weekend some residents of Tabora and Odorkor—all in Accra—took to the streets, blocked roads and threatened to attack officials of the ECG and their installations.
It took the intervention of the police and the military to restore calm in those areas.
Yesterday, some Kumasi residents took to the streets while those at Fadama, Accra, were stopped at the eleventh hour from hitting the streets.
By William Yaw Owusu