Tension is gradually brewing in about 170 communities in Juapong in the North Tongu District of the Volta region, following the free distribution of Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) metres, poles and wires.
Information gathered by Today showed that residents of Juapong and its surrounding communities including chiefs were bracing themselves up against some assembly members who were are alleged to have been selling the electricity metres, poles and wires at exorbitant prices to unsuspected residents.
The SHEP was part of government’s rural electrification project which was undertaken by the Energy Commission and Ministry of Energy and Petroleum with support of the ECG to connect villages and towns in Juapong Traditional Area to the national grid.
And in ensuring that the unsuspected residents bear the cost of the SHEP, Today gathered that some assembly members in Juapong connived with the contractors of the project to pass the cost onto the beneficiaries, who had accused them of extortion.
According to the residents, they were fully aware that the electricity metres, poles and wires were to be distributed to them for free and that the decision by the assembly members to sell them was an act of “corruption and fraud.”
The obviously worried residents, who made numerous telephone calls to the offices of Today in Accra on Thursday 12, 2015 described the assembly members and contractors of SHEP as the “most corrupt” in the country.
According to the callers, who are residents of Gborkofe, Glumakofe in Juapong, some unscrupulous assembly members in Juapong connived with the contractors of SHEP to re-sell the high tension electricity poles, metres and wires to the community members in the area and stressed the urgent need for government to investigate the matter.
“Even at Juapong township some assembly members and contractors have been seen in the public glare selling electricity poles, metres and wires to some businessmen and women who are putting up new building structures at the various outskirts of Juapong who needed these electricity materials to extend light to their newly developed houses.
“…we called on our District Chief Executive, Ms. Delpha Fafa Agbayi, via telephone to report this criminal act of our assembly members and contractors of SHEP and she promised to intervene.
“…these corrupt practices are heightening tension in our Juapong communities and must stop because it is very bad to extort money from residents, if the project is free of charge,” the distressed callers stressed.
Earlier, a resident from Gborkofe in Juapong who mentioned his name as Anas, told Today that ” What is happening in the entire Juapong community is even worse than what was reported in Mepe Traditional Area… some assembly members in Juapong have connived with the project contractors to re-sell electricity wires, poles and metres to the poor affected community members.”
Anas expressed worry over the increasing rate of corruption among some of the assembly members and contractors of the project, noting that most of the problems the country was facing were man-made as leaders of the country have failed to correct the rot in state institutions.
Meanwhile, speaking in an interview with Dela FM, a local radio station at Mafi-Adidome in the Central Tongu District of the Volta region on Wednesday, March 11, 2015 the North Tongu District Chief Executive (DCE,) Ms. Delpha Fafa Agbayi, confirmed that the people of Juapong indeed reported the issue to her which she expressed worry over the fraudulent act by the said personalities.
“These days l never sleep peaceful in my house because people in Juapong community are calling me day-and-night, reporting to me that some assembly members of Juapong and contractors of SHEP are collecting huge sums of monies from them before giving them the ECG’s metres,” the DCE said.
She hinted that her outfit was conducting investigations into the matter, stressing that whoever would be found culpable would be made to face the full rigours of the law.
She was however, disquieted about the posture of the contractors and mangers of the project for levying unsuspected residents of the area before they could have the ECG metres.
To this end, the DCE assured the people of the district of her outfit’s commitment and readiness to institute measures to immediately nip these corrupt practices of the assembly members of Juapong in the bud.
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