National Security dey lead investigation wey concern the missing containers wey get goods and materials belong to Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) don arrest 14 people. Dem be 10 foreign nationals and 4 Ghanaians. Dis one come light yesterday as Minister of Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor, visit Dangfang Company Ltd and Ponlok Manufacturing Company Ltd near Shai Hills for Greater Accra Region, plus warehouse for Kpone, to check how many missing cables wey National Security find. “We go chase and prosecute anybody wey dey guilty for the missing 1,300 shipping containers and wetin dey inside wey dey belong to ECG,” the minister talk. Mr Jinapor add say the ministry no go think twice to get court order make dem sell properties of people and companies wey dem catch, after dem finish the court matter to take cover the cost of the items, and put the money for national electricity grid to make power delivery better. For Dangfang Company Ltd and Ponlok Manufacturing Company Ltd, the minister and him team waka around the smelter and warehouses, where dem dey smelt cable drums and cables wey dem label as ECG property to turn am into aluminum rods for export. For Kpone, dem show the minister big warehouse wey dey keep cables wey dem dey suspect say dey belong to ECG. Context Mr Jinapor talk say committee wey dem set up to check containers wey dey packed for Tema Port when e assume office this year, indicate say over 1,300 containers no dey visible, and dis one make security agencies alert and dem investigation lead dem to find some cables for those factories.
Some aluminium rods wey DangFang Company produce with smelted cables. E talk say dem don find say people dey disappear since 2019, na one syndicate dey behind am. The Energy and Green Transition Minister talk say him go scatter the syndicate, e emphasize say “we go chase everybody wey dey do this cartel.” Mr Jinapor add say: “E clear say these na ECG cables, dem suppose use am for ECG but e go land for factories, dem go smelter am turn aluminium rods, na crime be dat.”
Politicisation
The Energy Minister wey no gree make people dey play politics with the matter, e talk say as minister, e don swear say e go do wetin right be that. “Make I clear am. Those wey feel say dem fit use this for political football, e no go work for dem,” Mr Jinapor talk. “Since 2019, dis crime dey happen for state. As minister, I go make sure say we stop this, we go find dem wey do am, and bring back the containers. I want my containers. Anywhere dem dey, we go trace dem,” e yan. Mr Jinapor wey dey represent Yapei Kusagwu, talk say with help from security agencies, di ministry go dey pursue di people wey do dis and make sure say dem answer for am. “We go do everything we fit to trace di containers because dem get serial numbers, dem get manifests; we go make sure say law go follow am,” e assure.
Procurement breaches Mr Jinapor talk say for 2014, ECG plan to buy things reach $1.397 billion. But by di end of di year, dem don buy goods wey worth $8.2 billion.
For 2023 too, di company plans to buy items wey less than $1 billion, but dem end up buying $8.3 billion. For 2024, dem buy $8.2 billion, far pass wetin dem approve for dem, e talk. “So, dem dey spend money wey no dey, buy things wey dem no fit clear, na dat one bring us here,” e point out. Arrests Di Director of Investigations for National Security, Chief Superintendent Osman Alhassan, wey take di minister round di factories, talk say although some people wey dem arrest try influence di security guys wey carry dem go, di team hold their own and do wetin dem suppose do. E talk say, so far, 10 foreign nationals and four Ghanaians don dey arrested for di missing containers. Chief Superintendent Alhassan say di team no fit tell di number of containers wey dem don recover so far, explain say di cables wey dem don recover no dey inside containers. “All wey I fit talk be say we don recover small quantity of di cables, but I no fit put am for container. We don hear say some transformers dey somewhere, but I never move on dat one, so when di time reach, we go keep you updated,” di Director of Investigations for National Security talk.
