Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor, has strongly refuted claims circulating on social media that attribute to him comments describing residents of Tamale as “power thieves.”
In a press statement issued on Monday, Mr. Jinapor dismissed the reports as “entirely false, contrived, and baseless,” urging the public to treat such assertions with the contempt they deserve.
“The audio-visual recordings will confirm that at no point during my visit did I refer to the people of Tamale as power thieves,” the Minister stated.
According to Mr. Jinapor, his remarks during his visit to the Northern Region focused on technical issues relating to the high Aggregate Technical, Commercial, and Collection (ATC&C) losses within the operational zone of the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo).
“For the avoidance of doubt, technical and collection losses have nothing to do with power theft but rather reflect inefficiencies within the utility company,” he explained.
He noted that these operational losses have been a significant factor contributing to the frequent power outages across parts of the country. The Minister emphasized that enhancing revenue collection and technical operations was critical to ensuring a reliable, consistent, and uninterrupted power supply for the people of Tamale and beyond.
To address the ongoing power challenges in Tamale, he reiterated the urgent need for reforms , calling for “significant investments and operational improvements”.
Reaffirming his deep ties to Tamale, Mr. Jinapor stressed his profound respect, loyalty, and connection to the people of the region.
“Let me finally assure the chiefs, elders, and people of Tamale of my utmost respect and reverence for them. I would never use derogatory words to describe my own people,” The Minister said.
The Energy Minister urged the public to disregard misinformation and pledged to continue working with stakeholders to bring about much-needed improvements in the energy sector across the Northern Region and the country at large.
