The Minority in Parliament has chastised President Mahama for not acknowledging the efforts of Former President Rawlings for his contribution towards increase generation capacity during his tenure as president.
The President in his 3rd State of the nation address assured Ghanaians that he will fix the energy crisis but not manage it like previous governments.
President Mahama made his reference to how the crises was managed in 1983, 1997, 1998 , 2006 and 2007.
[contextly_sidebar id=”ZMpzxWOp9REcfun98kTHDklqnhjQUH6o”]Presenting what the Minority called the “true State of the Nation Address” on Monday, Minority Leader Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu empazised that the President`s statement did not give credit to former President Rawlings.
Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu said “Since the President was beating his chest in the declaration of his intent to fix the dumsor, It was safe to refer that in the president`s view, his predecessors Jerry John Rawlings, John Evans Attah Mills and John Agyekum Kufuor only sought to merely mange it.Coming to deal with Rawlings` contribution and to let Ghanaian know the hoax in President Mahama said that the others try to manage it. This is totally unkind and uncharitable to Jerry Rawlings and Kufuor.”
The Minority Leader cataloging Rawlings`s contribution added that major Plants and power infrastructure was all done by former President Rawlings.
He said, “following the 1982 and 1985 power crises the VRA came out a research paper that defined the architecture of sustainable power generation beyond 1985.
He said the rehabilitation of the thirty mega watts diesel power plant at Tema which was procured by Dr. Nkrumah in 1961 but which was laying fallow since then was done by Former President Rawlings.
In January 1998 under Rawlings the 220 megawatts Aboadze Thermal Plant, Takoradi One or T1 came on stream. In June 1999 a hundred megawatts steam turbine came on board T1 to make a combine cycle plant that was capable of generating 330 megawatts.In response to the 1998, 2000 power crisis the Rawlings regime engaged AGRIDCO Company to generate and supply 30 megawatts in to the system.”
According top him, “Rawlings government in 1998 further expanded the Aboadze thermal plant to inject additional 330 megawatts. This was undertaken by Takoradi One.
“The gas turbines to deliver 220 megawatts of the total 330 megawatts were completed and commissioned in the years 2000. This is a joint between VRA and TACA of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The remaining 110 steam component is indeed yet to be completed. One could therefore conclude that Rawlings added at least 580 megawatts to the nation`s power generation and this does not include the emergency power generations,”he added.
He concluded by drawing the president`s attention to the fact that President Rawlings was not just merely managing or controlling or tinkering with the problem but confronted the issue of sustainable power generation and utilization.
By: Kojo Agyeman/citifmonline.com/Ghana