Tell us how you’re going to solve ‘dumsor’ ; Accra residents demand of Prez Mahama

Daily Graphic Feb - 24 - 2015 , 00:09

A number of Accra residents have asked President John Mahama to make known the measures he has outlined to address the power crisis in the State of the Nation Address he will present to Parliament on Thursday, February 26.

They have also asked him to focus on employment, education and health.

These were the views of ssome members of the public the Daily Graphic randomly spoke to in Accra yesterday on the national concerns they expected President Mahama to address.

Erratic power supply

The General Secretary of the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU) of the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC), Mr Ralph Apaaye, said the President was fully aware of the problems in the country that needed his urgent attention, stressing that foremost was the power crisis, which must engage his utmost attention.

He also called on the President to address issues confronting the health, agricultural and educational sectors as a matter of urgency.

A self-employed man, Mr Richmond Frimpong, reiterated the urgent need for the President to make frantic efforts to end the power crisis.

He said there could be an end to the power problem if other power generation options such as solar, wind and tidal waves were explored, adding that those options were environmentally friendly and cheaper to operate.

An official of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG), Mr Victor Amamoo, expressed the hope that the address would deal with how the power crisis would be quickly resolved.

He said the crisis was running down businesses and there was, therefore, the need for the government to find immediate interventions to make the power situation stable.

Ms Emmanuella Etorna, a student, said for her, the most pressing issue was the power crisis, which has been termed “dumsor”.

She said it had become a serious problem for her, as it negatively affected her studies and her performance in school.

A taxi driver who wanted to remain anonymous said the government should do something about fuel prices, since the price of crude oil had been reduced on the international market.

Economy

Ms Akua Oforiwaa, a trader at the Kaneshie Market, said the President should focus on strengthening the economy.

“I believe there is leakage in the economy and the President must put in place the necessary measures to seal it,” she added.

For unemployed James Commey, President Mahama needed to focus on creating jobs for the youth.

“The problem is not the power crisis alone but sustaining the economy is what matters to us,” he said.

Labour

The Public Relations Officer of CLOGSAG, Mr Edmund Acquaye, was of the view that the President would address issues concerning labour, more especially pensions.

Education

A lecturer at the Central College of Banking and Management Studies, Mr Gordon Brown, said the bureaucracy associated with the accreditation of private universities should be addressed.

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) said it was optimistic the President would include issues affecting teachers in his address.

Mr Ian Sagoe Sackey of GNAT stated that his concern regarded the free senior high school policy which the government had promised.

According to him, the government should give clear updates as to whether the policy would, indeed, be implemented or it was just political talk.