Why Should Ghanaians Complain About Extra 10% Tariff Increment? - ECG Quizzes

The Electricity Company of Ghana appears bemused by consumers raising hell over additional charges on electricity tariffs which came to light this week. ECG says the increment is meant for developmental projects and sees nothing wrong for government to slap Ghanaians with additional taxes to develop the nation. On Thursday, it was revealed that power consumers will be charged 69% in electricity tariff instead of the 59.2% recent upward adjustment announced by the Public Utilities and Regulatory Commission (PURC). Documents in possession of Peacefmonline.com clearly indicates that apart from the 59.2% increase, PURC directed the service provider, to charge an additional 10%, resulting in a cumulative hike of 69% beginning 1st January, 2016. A letter signed by the Executive Secretary of the PURC Samuel Sarpong states that the charges comprise a 5% increase approved by Parliament for a street light levy and another 5% billing for the national electrification charge. When news of the additional became public, Ghanaians hit the roof in anger calling the government and PURC insensitive and defunct. But Public Relations Manager for the ECG, William Boateng, believes the increment is in order. Explaining why his outfit is charging an extra 10% more instead of the 59.2% recent upward adjustment announced by the PURC, in an interview with CITI FM, he said “I do not understand the reason why most Ghanaians are bitterly complaining about the additional 10% increase in electricity tariffs since it was publicly announced by the company.”  According to him, the Energy Sector Levy Act (Act 899, 2015) deals with this; “Public lightening levy which is 5% per kilowatt hour of electricity charged on all categories of consumers, would be collected by the ECG and payment would be made to the Ministry responsible for power and electricity distribution companies.” The purpose for this particular levy is to support payment of energy consumed by traffic lights, street lights, public lights and highways to support investment and maintenance for these sectors by the Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies and would also be used to cater for replacement of street lights destroyed by hit and run motor vehicles, he said. Additionally, he told ‘Eyewitness News’ that the other half, is for National Electrification Scheme Levy, which is also 5% per kilowatt hour of electricity charged on all categories of consumers and its purpose is to provide funding support for national electrification programmes to improve access to electricity, under ECG collection. It would be paid to the national electrification fund, which has effectively been created. So basically these are the two levies which have increased the cost of electricity by another 10% effective 1st January 2016. He added that Ghanaians should take note of these increase and stop blaming the ECG for stealing their units.

Source: Elizabeth Semiheva/Peacefmonline.com

Flagstaff House now ‘dumping ground’ for non-performing ministers – NPP activists

A member of the communication team of the opposition New Patriotic Party, Nana Boakye a.k.a Nana B has accused President John Mahama of turning the seat of government, the Flagstaff House into a ‘dumping ground’ for ineffective ministers or those accused of wrong doing.

According to him, the alacrity with which such ministers are reassigned to the Office of the President which is now a safe haven, is very worrying and unacceptable.

President John Mahama in his latest reshuffle on Monday reassigned Interior Minister Mark Woyongo who has come under a lot of public flak lately to the Presidency as Minister of State.

Mr Woyongo was criticized heavily for publicly stating that he was not privy to details surrounding the acceptance into the country of the two ex Guatanamo Bay Cell detainess, whose presence in Ghana has sparked a lot of controversy. Several political experts were of the view that he goofed in his answer, hence losing his position in the latest reshuffle has come as no surprise to many.

Contributing to a discussion on Peace FM Tuesday, Nana Boakye recountered how President Mahama was quick to reassign former Sports Minister, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah to the Office of the President in the wake of his alleged acts of corruption during Ghana’s participation at the 2014 World Cup tournament.

“This trend is very worrying, you’ll recall that soon after Ghana’s world cup debacle where Hon. Afriyie Ankrah reportedly ensured the wanton dissipation of the tax payers money, President Mahama took him from the sports ministry to the Office of the President, at a time Ghanaians were calling for his prosecution.  Why does the president re-assigns such appointees to the Presidency, for what… for them to continue the same mess they were doing” he asked?

Nana Boakye added: “A reshuffle is in the offing, and that will be done by Ghanaians during the November 7 Presidential election. Ghanaians will reshuffle President Mahama out of office as punishment for the hardship he has made us suffer.”

Source: Kasapafmonline.com

AUDIO: Akufo Addo FINALLY Speaks On Gitmo Ex-Detainees Saga

The 2016 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has described the ongoing saga involving the arrival into Ghana of two Guantanamo Bay detainees as yet another example of the failure of leadership on the part of President Mahama. According to Nana Akufo-Addo, the law, as contained inSection 35 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2008, (Act 762), prohibits the transaction into which President Mahama has entered with the United States government. In addition to this, the President’s decision not to consult the relevant stakeholders in the country, so as to assuage the fears of Ghanaians, has resulted in heightened levels of fear amongst Ghanaians. Had President Mahama done the needed consultations, Nana Akufo-Addo noted that the “Ghanaian people may well have been spared the disquieting anxiety, in this time of justifiably heightened fear of global terrorism, that we are being led by a President who, ostensibly in the name of compassion, prefers to ignore laws designed to defend the most sensitive area of all, our nation’s security.” The NPP flagbearer made this known when he delivered a tribute in honour of the late Alhaji Alhassan Bin Salih in Wa, at an event of homage held on Tuesday, January 19, 2016. According to the NPP flagbearer, President Mahama’s failure in showing leadership in this matter “is a sad example of his belief that he is answerable to no one, not even to the laws of the Republic, like s.35 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (Act 760), which, as President, he is sworn to uphold.” Section 35 (1) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2008, (Act 762), states that “The Director of Immigration or an officer authorised by the Director shall not grant an endorsement or authority to permit a person to enter this country if there are reasonable grounds to suspect that the person is, will or has been involved in the commission of a terrorist act.” “Since he claims that only Presidents Rawlings and Kufuor have the right to criticize him, I would have wished that he had found it worthy to consult both of our two former national leaders before he took this grave decision that has consequences for us all,” he said. To this end, Nana Akufo-Addo admonished all Ghanaians, regardless of their political or religious affiliations, to “refrain from introducing religious divisions into the debate, for the issue at stake is not a religious one.”

Source: Peacefmonline.com

I commit myself to a Nana Addo presidency in 2016 – Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah

Newly elected parliamentary candidate of the opposition NPP in the Ofoase-Ayirebi Constituency of the Eastern Region, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, says his whole campaign will be geared towards a Nana Akufo-Addo presidency in 2016.

In a statement released Sunday evening, Oppong-Nkrumah said getting the party’s flagbearer to be president after the 2016 elections was paramount, adding he would commit himself to the task.

“Our common objective as true patriots should be to improve our party’s fortunes in December 2016 and thereby take Nana Akuffo Addo to the Flagstaff house.

This is the task to which I commit myself and the task I believe we can fulfill working together.”

In a poll held Saturday, he won by some 219 votes beating his closest contender John Obiri-Yeboah who managed 145 votes. The other contestant Bright Asamoah Acquah had 54 votes.

By: Kasapafmonline.com/Ghana

By: Kasapafmonline.com/Ghana

Saul Was A Terrorist…But God Had Mercy On Him – Ablakwa To Bishop Bonsu

The Deputy Minister in Charge of Tertiary Education, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has described as ‘unfortunate’ remarks by the Head of the Catholic Bishop Conference, Bishop Osei Bonsu. Bishop Osei Bonsu in response to President John Mahama’s comment on the former Guantanamo detainees; that Ghanaians should show compassion on the two said even though there is the need to show compassion, ‘compassion must be balanced with common sense’. "My Christian compassion is there and we need to be compassionate for people in need and try to help people but we have to balance compassion with common sense. If you know that somebody is a risk to the nation, you can't say that because of compassion we are going to take him. Then we may as well open our prisons and let out all the criminals” he said. A lot of government communicators have taken the Bishop to the cleaners for making such a comment. Speaking during a panel discussion on Radio Gold’s Alhaji and Alhaji, Hon Ablakwa asked the Bishop to retract his remarks. “The comment from the Bishop Bonsu was most unfortunate …that he expects the President to balance compassion with common sense? It is not right for a Bishop to speak to the President that way….i thought his language was unfortunate…he should think about it and retract it” According to the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, there is the need to have compassion on the Gitmo ex-detainees because God had mercy on Saul who a ‘terrorist’ and later got converted and became Paul. “… Saul (in the Bible) who later became Paul was a terrorist…he was killing people…he was on his terrorist enterprise when he met … if you read Acts 9:1-31 and I am surprised the leadership of the church, Bishop Bonsu has forgotten all about these” he added.

Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com