The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah, has rejected calls from the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) Workers’ Union to apologise for the arrest of one of their Managers.
He defended his actions, stating that he had requested the Police to arrest the Ashanti East Manager of the ECG, Mark Wiafe Asomani, for security reasons.
During a press conference in Kumasi on Thursday, the Minister revealed that there were agreements in place between the ECG and the Kumasi Technical University to address the University’s outstanding debts.
Mr Osei-Mensah assured reporters that he was merely carrying out his responsibilities and had not committed any wrongdoing.
“Do I have to apologise for doing my security work? What I want to tell you is that I asked the police to invite Ing Mark Asomani Wiafe on security grounds because of the happenings in the electricity sector in the region and the fact that a task force can always come from outside to disconnect without the proper information.
“What is ironic is that they tell me that they are not under me and for that matter, I cannot tell them what to do but they want to tell me how to execute my security responsibilities as enshrined in the Securities and Intelligence Act of 2020, Act 10(30).”
The Minister also dismissed claims that some managers of the ECG are members of the Regional Security Council (REGSEC).
The Minister also criticised the ECG for not heeding warnings from the Security Council to maintain uninterrupted power supply at the residences of the President and his Vice when they are in the Ashanti Region.
Furthermore, he alleged that the ECG had been overcharging him for electricity at his residence while denying any outstanding payments to the power company.
