Parliament orders defence minister to withdraw military attaché assisting with prepaid meter installation in Krobo

Meter installation: Military creating unnecessary tension – Krobo MP

MP pleas for withdrawal of military in meter installation exercise

The Parliament of Ghana has ordered the immediate withdrawal of personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces who were deployed to assist the Electricity Company of Ghana with the installation of prepaid meters in Lower Manya Krobo.

The Second Deputy Speaker, Andrew Asiamah Amoako, who issued the directive said that the withdrawal was necessary to help calm tensions in the communities in the constituency as indicated by the Member of Parliament for the area.

He added that the Minister of Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, should appear before the house next week to give an update on how the meter installation exercise is going.

“We are also directing that the Minister for Defence (Dominic Nitiwul) withdraws the military attaché in the area for the time being, over the weekend, for us to actually settle the matters, I so direct,” the second deputy speaker said on the floor of Parliament on Friday, June 24, 2022. Amoako Asiamah gave the directive after both the minority and majority caucus of Parliament accepted a plea of the Lower Manya Krobo MP, Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi, for the military personnel to be withdrawn because their presence was creating unnecessary tension with the meter installation exercise.

The MP said the presence of the military is not needed because the process was going on smoothly until they were deployed.

He added that what is needed is an engagement between the ECG and the members of the community. This engagement, he said, will help build trust between the ECG and the people of Krobo which will help them accept the installations of the meters.