$2.6m burnt meters: ECG board ignores minister’s directive

Source: myjoyonline.com

The Board of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) says it cannot execute a directive by the Energy Minister that some senior management members in Kumasi be interdicted for the loss of 21,000 prepaid metres in a warehouse fire.

Joy News’ source at the power distributor said the Minister’s directive amounts to interference, which is inimical to the company’s code; which stipulates that the company must resist at all cost, a third party’s interference.

Following the destruction of about 21,000 meters belonging to the ECG in a fire outbreak at an abandoned warehouse, Dr. Kwabena Donkor, Energy Minister, in a statement dated January 8 directed the ECG board to interdict six persons “with immediate effect”.

They are:

The Acting General Manager, Ing. Emmanuel T. Akinie

The Asokwa District Manager, Ing. Yakubu Harrison

The Regional Commercial Manager, Mr. Michael T.B. Boadu

The GEDDAP II prepayment project manager, Mr. Kwadwo Ayensu

The Materials and Transport Director, Alhaji Daubi Alhassan Jango

The Project Accountant, Mr. Samuel Ofori

The Minister said a committee of enquiry would be inaugurated to investigate the cause of the fire early this week and to make recommendations to forestall future occurrences.

However, the Board, according to Joy News Elton Brobbey said since ECG is a limited liability company, it can only consider the Minister’s directive as a proposal.

Board is expected to sit on Wednesday and consider the proposal. The six persons mentioned above are still at post, Joy News gathered.

The Board said an internal committee that investigated the incident is putting their report together which will inform the way forward.

It has also been revealed that the destroyed meters cost more than the 2 million dollars initially reported. The actual cost is 2.6 million dollars.

Even more disturbing, is the revelation that the metres were uninsured, meaning there is no cushion for the company following the disaster.
Read also: Six ECG officers interdicted over burnt meters - worth $2 million (11/10/2014) (new window)