The Central Regional Minister, Kweku Ricketts Hagan, has defended a promise made by President John Dramani Mahama to provide each household in the Abura community in Cape Coast one electricity meter.
According to the Minister, such promise is more “sensible” and “realistic” than those promised by flagbearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo.
President John Mahama at a rally at Abura on Tuesday; directed the release of 1,500 meters to residents in the area to ensure that each household has a meter.
This he said will end the current situation where multiple households share a meter. “In Abura, I know your major concern is about electricity, a lot of you do not have meters.
In most of the houses, the meters are shared. So I’ve asked that 1500 meters should be made available to you so that each house will have one meter,” Mahama added.
But the promise has provoked comments suggesting that the President may be towing the same line as the NPP, who have so far promised to build one dam in each village in the three regions of the North, and also provide one million dollars per constituency, as well as the one district, one factory policy if voted into power.
Speaking to Citi News, Mr. Ricketts Hagan justified the President’s promise. He argued that “wow; can a president be wrong when people have put a request before him? The President didn’t go to Abura to tell them that I’m coming to give you meters; it is the people who requested for it.” He explained that the president has the powers to make the promise possible.
“Whether he is the one going to do it directly or not, at least the President has the powers to direct the appropriate authorities to respond to the very urgent request. Doesn’t one house one meter sound a bit more sensible than one village one dam or all the other one this one that?.
And that is something that is realistic.” “We know that when you build a house, you need a meter. You have cases where people are sharing meters in between houses, I think that is much more realistic and sensible thing to say instead of the one this one that.
I don’t think the president is copying anyone. If you have one house you need one meter. We are yet to see whether we should have one dam in every village. So put the two side by side and look at which is more realistic,” he added.
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