President Nana Akufo Addo's Latest Mitigation Packages On Electricity Is Unrealistic

Analysis of Excerpts from the President's speech:

Except-1
GOVERNMENT WILL FULLY ABSORB ELECTRICITY BILLS FOR THE POOREST OF THE POOR, I.E. FOR ALL LIFELINE CONSUMERS, THAT IS FREE ELECTRICITY FOR PERSONS WHO CONSUME ZERO (0) TO FIFTY (50) KILOWATT HOURS A MONTH FOR THIS PERIOD.

How many Ghanaians consume less than 50kilowatts hours per month? 50kilowatts hours per month by ECG billing is GH16.00 approximately. Such consumers will surely exceed 50kwh per month under the Lockdown period because they are expected to consume more and so would be excluded and classified into those consuming 50kwts plus consumers. Will this make it a fare mitigate package?

Except-2
IN ADDITION, FOR ALL OTHER CONSUMERS, RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL, GOVERNMENT WILL ABSORB, AGAIN, FIFTY PERCENT (50%) OF YOUR ELECTRICITY BILL FOR THIS PERIOD, USING YOUR MARCH 2020 BILL AS YOUR BENCHMARK. FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOUR ELECTRICITY BILL WAS ONE HUNDRED CEDIS (GH¢100), YOU WILL PAY ONLY GH¢50, WITH GOVERNMENT ABSORBING THE REMAINING FIFTY CEDIS (GH¢50). THIS IS BEING DONE TO SUPPORT INDUSTRY, ENTERPRISES AND THE SERVICE SECTOR IN THESE DIFFICULT TIMES, AND TO PROVIDE SOME RELIEF TO HOUSEHOLDS FOR LOST INCOME.

With March light bill as benchmark, it means if an individual can consume 100gh per month without Lockdown, under lockdown, he or she is more like to spend more, Let's say 300gh. Giving that all activities are limited to the household, only 50gh would be paid to him or her and him or her has to pay 250gh. The lockdown would have cost him or her 200gh. We rather expect government to take financial responsibility of paying for the additional cost incurred by lockdown, and not pay only 50% of March bill which does not take into consideration the additional cost brought about by the lockdown.

I am by this write up, appealing to the president to humbly reconsider his decision by reviewing the said mitigating packages for the sake of making light of the hardships Ghanaians are going through currently under the lockdown.
Long live Ghana!
Long live us all!

I am a CITIZEN, not a spectator,

Yentik Gariba
[email protected]
Northeast region
Sakogu