Celebs must focus on energy conservation not vigil – Ofosu Ampofo

A former local government minister Samuel Ofosu Ampofo has directed celebrities spearheading a vigil against the incessant power supply in Ghana to rather channel their energies into a campaign for energy conservation.

Three screen icons Yvonne Nelson, Lydia Forson and Sarkodie are organising the #Dumsormuststop vigil on May 16 to compel the John Mahama-led administration to find immediate solution to the blackout.

“You can only demonstrate when you think that government is showing insensitivity but when government has demonstrated to all intent and purposes that it is concerned about the situation and doing everything possible to resolve it then I think what government needs is the support of these celebrities to push government in the direction of resolving the challenge,” the board chair of the Ghana Ports and Harbors Authority told Starr News’ Ibrahim Alhassan.

He added: “One of the challenges we are having is about the effective and productive uses of electricity. I think some of these celebrities will do us a lot of good if they decide to join the Energy Commission and other related bodies in educating the good people of this country that even in the midst of scarcity, how do we productively manage ourselves such that we won’t come to a place and somebody switches an air-condition on and he is going to work and he leaves it.”

According to the NDC stalwart, the intended vigil of the celebrities will not in any way help resolve the energy crisis.

“The reality is that we have a challenge and going on a vigil a night and returning will not solve that challenge. Sometimes you undertake some of these demonstrations and vigil to draw government’s attention to a challenge. Indeed in this case the president himself is aware of the enormity of the challenge and has always been there identifying and admitting that we have a challenge on hand and we are doing something about it,” Ampofo noted.