Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia has been challenged to provide evidence of claims he made to the effect the government has made some excess capacity payments worth GH¢7 billion.
The Vice President’s Office had reportedly promised to make details available of those payments following Dr. Bawumia’s statement, however, two months after the promise the Office is yet to provide the details to Ghanaians.
The Minority in Parliament has vowed to pursue the Vice President and continue to demand he provides evidence of these payments.
Member of Parliament for Yapei Kasawgu who threw the challenge to the Dr. Bawumia expressed disgust that the very high office of Vice President of Ghana has been turned into a joint for churning out New Patriotic Party (NPP) government fabrication and falsehood.
He accused the Vice President of coercing and pressuring the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) to increase electricity tariffs, which he warned will burden the ordinary Ghanaian further.
The MP warned this is not the time to exacerbate and increase the burden of the ordinary Ghanaian with such electricity hikes.
He said, “As we speak fuel prices have been increased more than 100% in less than six months; this is unprecedented. Inflation is gone through the roof, over 30% with food inflation leading the chart. The Ghanaian currency the Cedi is in free fall.”
“Ghanaians are going through untold hardship and indeed today if you talk to the ordinary Ghanaian, how to make three square meals is a major challenge.”
“There are reports of food shortages in our various markets; there are reports of food rationing at the various pumps.”
Mr. Jinapor appealed to civil society, the TUC and well-meaning Ghanaians to send a clear signal to the government they have had enough of the abysmal performance and enough of the suffering and enough of the incompetence.
Ghanaians, he said, expect the Akufo-Addo government to step up to the plate, think outside the box, own up and accept responsibility and do the needful.
“Unfortunately, the head of the Economic Management Team, Dr. Bawumia instead of accepting responsibility and proffering solutions to the economic challenges, rather chose to blame the NDC administration for the current woes and stated falsely the NPP administration has made excess capacity payments worth GH¢17 billion.”
“The question I want to pose is that two months since the Vice President made that claim, where is the evidence that his Office promised to give,” he quizzed?
The government, he said, has not engaged the energy sector players and the Ministry of Finance and therefore the firm conclusion is that the Vice President’s claim is excess capacity payment is false and cannot stand the test of time.
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