Simon Osei-Mensah has vehemently rejected calls from the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) Workers’ Union to issue an apology over the arrest of one of their Managers in the region.
The Ashanti regional minister noted that, the arrest of Mark Wiafe Asomani, the Ashanti East Manager of the ECG, was based on security reasons.
Addressing the press on Thursday, April 25, in Kumasi, the regional minister pointed out that there were initial agreements between the ECG and the Kumasi Technical University to address the University’s accumulated debts.
According to Simon Osei-Mensah, the arrest of the ECG manager is a step in the right direction stating that he was merely carrying out his responsibilities and had not committed any wrongdoing.
He said, “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).”
His remarks come after members of the Senior and Junior Staff Unions of the ECG in the Ashanti Region demanded an apology from him for mistreating the area General Manager of ECG.
Mr Wiafe was arrested on the orders of the Ashanti Regional Minister because he allegedly defied his directive to restore power to the school.
Furthermore, he alleged that the ECG had been overcharging him for electricity at his residence while denying any outstanding payments to the power company.
Meanwhile, workers of the ECG in the Ashanti region have halted their revenue mobilisation drive due to safety concerns.
The Chairman of the ECG Senior Staff Ashanti West, John Mensah, expressed fear that the conduct of the Ashanti Regional Minister could embolden members of the public to attack the staff.
