Parliament orders withdrawal of soldiers from Krobo ECG prepaid meter exercise

Parliament has instructed the Minister for Defence to order the immediate withdrawal of soldiers in the Lower Manya Krobo Constituency.

The order was given by the Second Deputy Speaker, Andrew Amoako Asiamah, who presided over parliamentary proceedings.

“We are also directing that the Minister for Defence withdraws the military attaché in the area for the time being for us to address certain matters, I so direct,” he stated on Friday, 24 June 2022.

The soldiers are assisting the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) with the installation of new prepaid meters following months of hostility between residents and the power company over the payment of electricity bills.

In defence, ECG has justified the use of the military in the exercise, saying the deployment was because previous attempts at introducing prepaid meters in the enclave caused a rift leading to staff injuries suffered from physical assault by residents.

However, the Member of Parliament for the Lower Manya Krobo, Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi, raised the matter on the floor of the house on Friday, 24 June 2022, indicating that the presence of the military men was heightening tensions in the community and therefore they should be withdrawn to calm nerves in the community.

But, Sakyiwaa Mensah, who speaks for the ECG in the Tema Region and has oversight responsibilities in that part of the Eastern Region, explained that while there are police officers as part of the operation to protect the installers, the presence of the military is only to provide technical support during the exercise.