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Opinions of Monday, 2 February 2015

Columnist: Appiah, Kwabena

Protest against the perennial power outages

Concerned Ghanaians are a diverse group of citizens who have formed to protest against the perennial power outages that continue to bedevil and cripple the country. In a mass show of action encapsulating the national mood, we intend to take to the streets of Accra on 6th March 2015, Independence Day, to demonstrate against the continual erratic electricity supply and the seeming lack of ability of both the government and the ECG to get a grip on the problem.

It is the view of Concerned Ghanaians that it is both shameful and embarrassing that, in the 21st Century, our pretentions of being taken seriously as an independent country are rendered a joke by the continual failure of ECG to provide a consistent supply of electricity. ECG has hence failed in its basic remit. It is only consistent in its incompetence, ineptitude and mismanagement, all of which are underpinned by the murky hand of corruption.

It is a damning indictment on the ECG that the cost of electricity continues to increase whilst its supply is proving inconsistent and erratic. The Ghanaian rightfully asks the pertinent question, "What is happening with our money?"

The government and its ECG counterparts have bamboozled us with terms such as "load-shedding." and promises of thermal plants – yet the seemingly intractable problems continue

The failure of the current government to hold ECG to account is equally damning. It is thus the view of Concerned Ghanaians that the government is equally culpable for this interminable energy crisis, allowing a culture of graft and incompetence to flourish at the ECG.

A consistent power supply is a basic building block of a nation's infrastructure. Yet 58 years after independence, we struggle to provide it. Businesses, schools, homes, industry, hospitals are all affected. Yet the government fiddles whilst Rome burns. The nation will never develop should the status quo continue.

We, as patriotic concerned Ghananians, say no more.

We will demonstrate on Independence Day to demand action and solutions from both the government and ECG.

Concerned Ghanaians call on all citizens from all walks of life to join us in the planned demonstration planned for 6th March 2015. This is a national crisis and it is the duty of every Ghanaian to hold both the government and ECG to account.

This is our country and we cannot be taken for fools any longer.

Place:Accra

Date: 2nd February 2015

Signed
Kwabena Appiah
Ofei Dei Goodfellow
Atick Yakubu
+23324288777