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13.08.2019 Feature Article

PDS Scandal: Mr President, Where Is The Protection Of The Public Interest??

PDS Scandal: Mr President, Where Is The Protection Of The Public Interest??
13.08.2019 LISTEN

President Nana Akufo Addo has chosen far away Angola to break his silence on the PDS scandal and sought to assure the people that his government’s decision to suspend the ECG concession agreement is for the protection of the public interest.

News about the scandal broke for over one week and the President who has since been around denied us all the opportunities he got and others he could create and chose Angola to speak.

The Ghanaian taxpayer who is home and always having to bear the brunt of the daily electricity provision challenges and its accompanying exorbitant cost couldn’t be directory addressed on this?

It was in Angola that the PDS scandal all of a sudden became pertinent to react to and had to precede all other events of the visit? Whatever the reason is, choosing to address Ghanaians from Angola goes to the heart of a malaise where the President will mostly choose abroad to address his country on important matters.

What else is curious about this trip? That, mired in the PDS scandal is an Angolan company, AENERGIA SA [Angola], said to be partly owned by family and friends and has its offices in a building said to be owned by our Finance Minister and located at Switchback road at 37.

“Man is not what he thinks he is, he is what he hides” – Andre’ Malraux

Also, revealing is the President’s indication that the PDS scam was brought to government’s notice, contradicting Kojo Oppong Nkrumah’s that government’s own due diligence uncovered it.

Now, addressing Ghanaians in Angola, President said the decision to suspend the PDS agreement was “to protect the public interest, and to protect the ECG assets in excess of 3 billion cedis. These are not assets that you can take lightly. They were taken to protect the public interest and to make sure that the delinquency, if that is what it turns out to be, was nipped in the bud as soon as possible.”

At the time the President was making the pronouncement in Angola, ECG and PDS without the consent of the sector regulator, Energy Commission and obviously being pushed by unseen-hands engaged in an ‘incestuous arrangement’ - issued a joint press release to allow PDS back to undertake the most critical services; electricity retail and distribution, which is why we are where we are today.

While at that, at our expense via a chartered flight, the team despatched to Qatar on the matter of ‘’fundamental and material breaches’’ are back home without the accompaniment on the trip by a representative of ECG – who’s effort to protect its Gh22 billion assets worth detected the scam. Why the ECG exclusion? Who will exclude a potent sniffer dog from a search if not for “those reasons”?

About that same time, the Energy Minister who doubles as Board member of MiDA has been asked to go prove his claims of fraud against PDS.

Also, in his address from Angola, the President for whatever reason slashed ECG’s assets value from over Gh22 billion to a paltry Gh3 billion.

As an observer, Mr President, your claim of safeguarding the public interest cannot be true. The developments subsequent to the scandal rather look a grand scheme – multiple prong approach to sweep the rots being uncovered under the carpet and to protect the interests of family, friends and ex-girlfriends’ in the PDS deal. That is what it is

Those who will understand the evil plans up the NPP’s sleeves are those who witnessed how they collapsed Ghana’s pride, GhanaAirways and its assets heartlessly shared among themselves to the extent that any Ghana’s future decision to operate a state airline cannot be without the express approval of one of them who now partly owns the right after Ghana International Airlines failed.

Telecommunication giant, Ghana Telecom [GT] was not spared either, it was cheaply sold and when in the country’s interest, NPP Member of Parliament [MP] for Esikuma-Odoben-Brakwa, Hon P.C. Appiah Ofori blew the cover of his own colleagues for collecting $5,000 each before approving the sale of Ghana Telecom to foreigners, he is forever hated by them.

Where I am, all of it actually brings to mind a favourite Bob Reed quote: Crooks! Thieves! Hang them all. Time!

Writer: Koku Mawuli Nanegbe

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