Jinapor vrs Jinapor: Opposed brothers dispute Covid-19 power reliefs

A Deputy Chief of Staff, Samuel Abu Jinapor has taken on his brother on the other side of the political divide, John Abdulai Jinapor in relation to government’s recently announced electricity reliefs for Ghanaians.

President Nana Akufo-Addo who addressed the nation on Thursday on measures put in place to ease challenges Ghanaians were compelled to endure because of the Coronavirus-induced lockdown announced free electricity for the poor and a 50% slash in the electricity bill of other consumers.

“Government will fully absorb electricity bills for the poorest of the poor, i.e. for all lifeline consumers, that is free electricity for persons who consume zero (0) to fifty (50) kilowatt hours a month for this period. In addition, for all other consumers, residential and commercial, Government will absorb, again, fifty percent (50%) of your electricity bill for this period, using your March 2020 bill as your benchmark. For example, if your electricity bill was one hundred cedis (GH¢100), you will pay only GH¢50, with Government absorbing the remaining fifty cedis (GH¢50),” President Akufo-Addo announced.

But John Jinapor who is also a former Deputy Minister of Power insisted that the electricity reliefs announced by the government will still make Ghanaians worse off.

“For the avoidance of doubt the lifeline Net Charge for Electricity consumers (50kwh) is ¢19.26 a month. By spending more time at home during the lockdown a doubling of consumption, that is a 100kwh will push a consumer to ¢58.93. Therefore a 50% rebate will still make you worse off. Use electricity wisely and don’t be misled by the rebate,” John Jinapor who is also the MP Yapei Kusawgu wrote on his Facebook Page.

But his brother who is part of the governing New Patriotic Party argued otherwise.

“…A large proportion of our citizens will enjoy free electricity with most of them resident outside the lockdown areas and, happily, the northern parts of our country…Assuming without admitting that the lockdown areas will consume more electricity due to the restrictions, a logic which is very weak anyway, and therefore will move out of the lifeline category, quite clearly, these consumers will still enjoy a subsidy or relief since they would have been worse off without the fifty percent (50%) absorption by government. They will still have had to pay the full cost of the so-called increased consumption. Basic reasoning,” Deputy Chief of Staff, Abu Jinapor also argued on his Facebook page.

Credit: Citinewsroom