“It saddens my heart that Mirigu still lacks those basic needs such as electricity, motorable roads, water etc. He should be reminded of his promises in case he has forgotten. We did not vote for him to just augment the numbers in parliament. You can’t deceive us with the mere erection of poles; that’s not what we need. I am pretty sure those poles will soon rot and fall even. Meanwhile, they would go and document that, Mirigu has benefited from the rural electrification project. Please we are not asking for much honourable MP, just grant us what we requested and you promised to deliver.”
Frederick Amoah, an ardent follower of A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East Show asked the MP for the Chiana-Paga in the Upper East Region, Thomas Adda Dalu when the latter sat with A1 Radio’s Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith on the Day Break Upper East Show recently.
The MP, in his response to concerns from Mr. Amoah and many other residents in the Chiana-Paga area about rural electrification, suggested that there may have been a miscommunication because he did not promise to connect any community to the national electricity grid.
“When I was the DCE, a lot of expansion was done there [Mirigu]. It is not only Mirigu [that isn’t connected to the electrical grid]. Even where I stay [there is not light]. They do not even know that I started the expansion. When I come, where I stay, I do not have lights.”
“In Mirigu, the contractor working there, I have taken the details and other areas and I am working on it at the ministry. As for connecting to the grid, it is difficult. It cannot be done by the MP. It can be done by the government but what I am fighting for is where I started so that we can complete those areas so that the majority of people would have lights,” he said.
The MP continued to say that while he is following the Ministry closely to ensure that work is completed, it is extremely difficult. Mr. Dalu however stressed that the MP’s financial ability cannot connect communities to the national grid.
“The Common Fund is not coming. If the Common Fund is coming and it is reasonable, the MP can decide to say I will pay the labour part of the contractor and he will take the labour part and come and fix.”
“I did not promise to connect any community to the grid. What I said was that we will try and work to see that the ongoing ones would be completed and that is what I am doing,” Mr. Dalu added.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
