STATEMENT: Nana Addo For President 2012 Movement On LPG Shortage

STATEMENT By Nana Addo For President 2012 Movement (NAFOP) - GREATER ACCRA On The Acute Shortage Of LPG In Ghana - A Devastating Development Under The So-called Better Ghana

Ever since the Mills-Mahama administration took over the affairs of this country, LPG has been poorly managed causing long queues at GAS filling stations across the country. This has led to severe hardship in many households and LPG dependent commercial vehicles.

This acute shortage of liquefied petroleum gas obviously has had adverse effect on the already poor state of businesses and economic activities in the country and it is getting worsened day by day. Before the Professor Mills-led NDC took over from the NPP in January, 2009, these perennial shortages of gas was a thing of the past.

However, the same cannot be said currently under the so-called better Ghana of NDC. Every Ghanaian now feels the incompetence with which the energy situation has been so far managed in the country. Indeed Professor Mills and the NDC promised Ghanaians a year of action in 2011 but the year of action has rather left Ghanaians in a situation of despondency, confusion, wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Recently the Executive Secretary of the Energy Commission, Dr. Alfred Ofosu Ahenkorah attributed the GAS shortage to increase in demand of the commodity. He went ahead and explained that Ghana is expecting a grant of $691,000 from the United States Trade and Development Authority [USTDA] for the conduct of feasibility studies on the establishment of a natural gas processing facility to boost the importation of natural gas.

Ghanaians can no longer wait for any feasibility studies to be conducted before they can enjoy constant flow of GAS in the country given the fact that the West Africa Gas Supply is operational and Ghana is now a crude oil producing country. The fact is that the gas situation at the moment is seriously affecting Caterers, Taxi drivers, passengers, small factories chop bars and restaurants just to mention a few, whose economic activities are LPG dependent.

Of late, it is common to observe long queues of gas cylinders at filling stations for several days as if they were meant for an exhibition. Taxi drivers get stranded and some even spend the night at filling stations in their vehicles waiting for LPG to be supplied. The situation equally affects passengers who are unable to go home early due to the long queues at lorry stations. This constant trend is worrying under the so- called better Ghana agenda.

It is very clear that the Mills-Mahama led government has not demonstrated the slightest competence in meeting the expectations of the average Ghanaian especially regarding gas supply and indeed every essential utility.

We are therefore calling on Ghanaians to reject the NDC government come 2012 because it is obvious that the government has lost focus especially during this period that the sitting president is being contested for reasons of incompetence and corruption by members of his own party.

Thank You

NAFOP GREATER ACCRA