Northern regional correspondent for Happy 98.9FM and e. TV Ghana, Evans Manasseh says the incidence of power theft in the region has become an imminent danger to residents of Kabonwule in the Northern Region.
He made this claim in an interview with Sefa-Danquah via phone on the Happy Morning Show (#HappyHMS) aired on e. TV Ghana and Happy 98.9FM. “Their electrical connections doesn’t pass through any corresponding order like coming from the transformer and then passing through other channels to give them light.”
According to him, individuals in that community can go through the appropriate channels to get light legally, but they choose to tap into the grid illegally. “I honestly thought that there would be an advancement to their lighting system in the past years. Over 80% to 85% of individuals living in that area have their light connected illegally,” he revealed.
He disclosed that this action is as a result of their refusal to pay electrical bills. “In the evening, everyone connects their illegal wires to get power supply and early in the mornings they disconnect these illegal wires and hung them to avoid paying for electricity bills,” he said.
Earlier last month, the Energy Minister Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh set up and charged a taskforce to fight the menace of illegal electrical connections costing the nation millions of cedis.
He urged them to stay on their track and ensure that whoever is found culpable is not spared. “Whoever is caught stealing power must be put to shame. We won’t spare the taskforce team so do not spare the customer who steals power,” he said.
Louisa Antiede Tetteh
