The Minority Spokesperson on Energy, Adams Mutawakilu, has accused the government of usurping the powers of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission [PURC], by announcing a 14 percent average reduction in electricity tariffs for non-residential users in the country.
The announment was made by President Nana Akufo-Addo, but Mr. Mutawakilu contends that “announcing the reduction when PURC hasn’t even done the major tariff review is taking over the work of PURC.”
“Government doesn’t direct PURC. Government gives input to PURC. That is why it [PURC] is independent, and I have continued to warn that they are treating PURC as an agency or department under the Ministry of Energy,” he said on Eyewitness News.
Before this assertion, Mr. Mutawakilu had claimed that proposals had not been made to the PURC to reduce electricity tariffs, as captured in the 2018 budget.
But responding to the claims, the Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko, said there were documents available to prove the proposal for reduction was sent as far back as November 2017.
Mutawakilu’s claims baseless
Also speaking on Eyewitness News, the Spokesperson for the Energy Ministry, Nana Damoah, said the Minority MP was only trying to smear the President.
“The President is not saying that he as President has unilaterally taken a decision to review prices, so I wonder what Mr. Adams Mutawakilu is talking about. There is absolutely no basis whatsoever for him to be attempting to make the claims he is making.”
The President made the announcement at the opening of the 8th Salon Academy of the National Association of Beauticians and Hairdressers
According to Mr. Damoah, the President would not have made the announcement without “knowing the state of all of these processes and procedures.
He also reminded that it was clear in the budget statement that these were proposals and according to him, the PURC acknowledged receipt of proposals and “kicked into gear its own processes.”
“The president has done nothing but reinstate that point that was made in the budget of 2018 that was read in November 2017,” Mr. Damoah said.
The government announced that it had recommended the review of electricity tariffs in the country to the PURC.
It said it is hoping for an average reduction of 13 percent in electricity tariffs for residential consumers, whilst it is targeting a 21 percent drop for industrial consumers.
Reducing electricity tariffs was a major promise of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) ahead of the 2016 elections.
Source: citifmonline.com
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Who cares whether it's the PURC or government that reduces the tariffs/all we know is that the NDC through sheer idiocy, ineptitude and pure greed hiked electricity tariffs to unacceptable levels ,stifling industries and causing great pain to Ghanaian households. If someone wants to reduce those tariffs why would we argue about who does it?It is obvious the NDC is only happy when Ghanaians are suffering.Folks we have to make sure these demons never come anywhere near power again.
And when the price goes up whose name are you going to mention??? PURC or Nana Add???Asem sebe!
NDC and f0000000ling?? ooo daaaabi
What is this ofridjato also saying?any idi*t want to be heard in Ghana. Ndcfuo ne gyimie, gyimie and they never learn because they don't want to learn.
In fact this so called Nana Owusu Ofori of the PPP is very annoying. I don't think a party that needs members need this negative man to represent them on platforms. He is driving away new members who want to join that party, he is not the right person at all to represent them. I hate him when he come on air to represent the ppp, all his idiology is the same as the ndc economic association. Look at how ppp performed abysmally during the last elections because of this man's submissions. He always want to be like the ndc so ppp will find it difficult to get power. If ppp are happy with negative people like this man then I'm afraid it is not a serious party. He is an ndc man in ppp T-shirt.
NDC PEOPLE ARE VERY ***barred word***