Tension at Krobo as Nuaso residents confront military, ECG team

There is tension in Nuaso, a suburb of the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality in the Eastern region following a confrontation between some agitating residents who spontaneously protested Monday morning against the presence of the military and the installation of prepaid meters without engagement with the community.

The volatile atmosphere forced the military and the staff of the Electricity Company of Ghana, ECG, to retreat from the area.

However, the ECG team and the military returned in the afternoon to continue the exercise.

Neighbouring residents from Kpongunor who recently embarked on a similar protest mobilized and stormed Nuaso to support the people to resist the military and ECG officials.

The military and the ECG team sensing violent confrontation again retreated having engaged the chiefs and Assembly members in the area for a community engagement on the exercise Tuesday before they resume.

Assemblymember for Nuaso Raymond Newton said the residents in the area need education on the prepaid meters therefore hopeful that the community engagement agreed upon with ECG Tuesday will deescalate tension in the community.

He however appealed to ECG to restore power to the community after it allegedly switched off the power supply to the community following the resistance.

Parliament directed the Defence Minister to immediately withdraw the military personnel assisting the installation of prepaid meters at Lower Manya Krobo

The directive was given by the Second Deputy Speaker, Andrew Amoako Asiamah, on Friday, June 24 after the Member of Parliament for the area, Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi raised the matter on the floor of the house, indicating that the presence of the military men is heightening tensions in the community.

“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.” the second deputy speaker directed.

About 50 military personnel have been deployed to the Krobo area to provide security to the staff of the Electricity Company of Ghana, ECG, as it replaces all postpaid meters with prepaid meters on June 14, 2022

However, according to Sakyiwaa Mensah, Public Relations Officer for ECG Tema Region, the military is providing technical support since they are undergoing a refresher training course at ECG training school.

Meanwhile the Director of Customer Service, Anokye Abebreseh told the media in Koforidua on Monday, June 13, 2022, that intensive engagements have been done with all stakeholders in the Krobo area hence was expecting maximum cooperation on the installation of prepaid meters.

“Just last week we met, a tripartite kind of a committee comprising of Electricity company, National Security and United Krobo Foundation. We met and the agreement is that ECG going to install prepaid meters starting from tomorrow for which all of us have agreed .so come tomorrow (Tuesday) we are going to deploy our men to the field to start the installation of prepayment meters. We have done a lot of stakeholders engagements so at least for now calm is prevailing so come tomorrow 14th of June we are going to start deployment of prepayment meters ” said Anokye Abebreseh

The installation of prepaid meters comes after years of the impasse between Krobo residents and ECG which escalated into devasting attacks on the ECG office in Somanya and led to a deadly clash with police. The ECG office has since been shut down.