The Jinapor brothers in the two main political parties have taken to Facebook to argue over the impact of the electricity package announced by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in his latest address on Covid-19.

“Government will fully absorb electricity bills for the poorest of the poor, i.e. for all lifeline consumers, that is free electricity for persons who consume zero (0) to fifty (50) kilowatt hours a month for this period.

“In addition, for all other consumers, residential and commercial, Government will absorb, again, fifty percent (50%) of your electricity bill for this period, using your March 2020 bill as your benchmark. For example, if your electricity bill was one hundred cedis (GH¢100), you will pay only GH¢50, with Government absorbing the remaining fifty cedis (GH¢50),” the announced.

Ghana currently has 378 covid-19 cases

Below are both arguments by the brothers

John.A Jinapor :

“For the avoidance of doubt the lifeline Net Charge for Electricity consumers (50kwh) is ¢19.26 a month.

“By spending more time at home during the lockdown a doubling of consumption, that is a 100kwh will push a consumer to ¢58.93.

“Therefore a 50% rebate will still make you worse off.

“Use electricity wisely and don’t be misled by the rebate.

“Stay safe.”



Abu Jinapor :

Fellows,

“For the avoidance of doubt, of the almost Three Million, Eight Hundred thousand (3.8m) customers of ECG, a little over One Million (1.0m), representing about Twenty Seven point Four percent (27.4%), are lifeline consumers.

“Of the Nine Hundred and Thirty Eight Thousand, Four Hundred and Seventy-Seven (938,477) customers of NEDCO, which encompasses the five northern regions and more, the constituents of all of us northern politicians, Five Hundred and Sixty Nine Thousand, Three Hundred and Sixty Four ( 569,364), representing Sixty point Six Seven percent (60.67%), are lifeline consumers.

“Firstly, some ECG lifeline consumers are not under lockdown and all the lifeline consumers in the five northern regions are certainly not under lockdown.

“Undoubtedly, a large proportion of our citizens will enjoy FREE ELECTRICITY with most of them resident outside the lockdown areas and, happily, the northern parts of our country.

“Secondly, assuming without admitting that the lockdown areas will consume more electricity due to the restrictions, a logic which is very weak anyway, and therefore will move out of the lifeline category, quite clearly, these consumers will still enjoy a subsidy or relief since they would have been worse off without the fifty percent (50%) absorption by government. They will still have had to pay the full cost of the so called increased consumption. Basic reasoning.

“Thirdly, for a government which subjected us to four (4) consecutive years of DUMSOR, supervised the worse utility tariff regime and exhibited such extreme incompetence in the energy sector in particular, to have the temerity to, even, comment on energy matters is to, say the least, shocking.

“They should learn to keep quiet as their record in government is the worse in the life of the Ghanaian people. Theirs was crass incompetence and insensitivity to the plight of our population. Let them learn to hold their peace as the little effusion from them, makes them sound ludicrous and reminds our countrymen and women of their unedifying period in government.

“The government of Akufo-Addo remains committed to building a Ghana, even in such difficult circumstances, which is fair, prosperous and determined to lift the mass of our people out of the current predicament.”