The people of Manya-Kpongunor in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality of the Eastern Region on Tuesday maintained that they would prefer to die with military personnel dispatched to ensure the ongoing fixing of prepaid meters in the Krobo area by the ECG rather than to let the power distributors have their way.
The soldiers are assisting the ECG with the installation of new prepaid meters following months of hostility between residents and the ECG over the payment of electricity bills.
The ECG has justified the use of military personnel during the exercise.
Tension in the community remains on a knife-edge as the 50-man armed military personnel from the 49 Engineers Regiment from Burma Camp together with the ECG continue to undertake the exercise despite earlier warnings.
They have threatened a bloodbath should the team continue to ignore their warning and step foot in the community for the exercise. And now with only days away from the team reaching Kpongunor, the tension in the community remains high.
The angry residents accused the ECG and military team of failing to consult the youth, people and chiefs of the area ahead of the exercise and reiterated the earlier position that Kpongunor is not ready for the meters.
“We’ve asked them to hold on [with the meters] for peace to prevail but they’re adamant and they’re using guns and have already killed one of our brothers, they should use the killing of our brother to settle the bills but if they say they don’t understand and that they are men, they are soldiers from the bush, we want them here, let them come, we’ll show them that there are men,” one resident threatened furiously. “The prepaid they’re bringing, we don’t want it but if they insist on bringing soldiers to bring the meters here, we don’t have a problem, we will die together with the soldiers.”
Youth leader of the Manya-Kpongunor community, Niewiamatse Odjao told GhanaWeb that the ECG failed to consult leaders and youth of the community before commencing the exercise. He said, “They [ECG] failed to consult the Krobo community and before we realized, they had brought the meters. Meanwhile, there are chiefs on the land.”
Though the power distributors had discussions with the Konor, the Paramount Chief of the Manya Krobo Traditional Area, Nene Sakite II ahead of the exercise, the youth leader was peeved that the leadership failed to consult the divisional chiefs of the area.
“The MCE and the Konor had their discussion and claimed that all the chiefs were involved but the majority of the chiefs are not aware.”
He urged the leadership of the ECG to dialogue with the people of the area and explain the issues to them before going ahead with the exercise to enable them to support their activities. He said, “What we’re saying is that they should hold on and leave our community, they should meet us and the elders and explain things to us, if we accept it, we’ll support them but if we don’t agree with their explanation, then we’ll reject it.”
The company is currently installing 3000 meters during the first phase of the exercise as part of a larger target of 50,000 postpaid meters to be replaced with prepaid meters.
Contrary to expectations, the military still remain actively engaged in the exercise despite Parliament through the Second Deputy Speaker, Andrew Amoako Asiamah, directing the Defence Minister to immediately withdraw them.
The order followed a statement made on the floor by the Member of Parliament for the area, Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi on Friday, June 24, that the presence of the military men is heightening tensions in the community.
Confrontation with Nuaso residents
On Monday, some residents of Nuaso Old Town and New Town clashed with officials of the ECG and the armed military personnel.
According to the residents, not much sensitization or information was given to them ahead of the installation.
Assemblyman for Nuaso Newtown, Hon Raymond Asare Partey said the people protested against the ECG and military on the grounds that no education was given to members of the community to sensitize them ahead of the exercise.
“I received a call from one Nene Terkpertey that the ECG guys are in his community. I saw a lot of guys agitating that they need more education before this exercise can continue, they want to know the reason behind they coming in, no education, they’re not going to allow,” narrated the Assembly man.
He furthered that the situation prompted a meeting between the military command, the two assembly members of the affected areas and officials of the ECG with the team agreeing to withdraw their operations for the day while a sensitization is held for the residents before continuation of the exercise.
Meanwhile, hundreds of residents from neighboring Kpongunor massed up and marched toward Nuaso to register their protest over the ongoing exercise and the presence of the soldiers.
Some residents of Manya-Kpongunor in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality