Parliament approves Owusu-Adjapong, judges

Page 16 June 4, 2008
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
PARLIAMENT yesterday unanimously approved the nomination of Mr Felix K. Owusu-Adjapong by the President as the new Minister of Energy.
The House also approved the nominations of four judges — Mr Justice Jones Victor Dotse, Mr Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, Mr Justice Anin Yeboah and Ms Justice Rose Constance Owusu — for appointment as justices of the Supreme Court.
The House gave approval to the nominations of the five persons after the Chairman of the Appointments Committee of Parliament, Mr Freddie Blay, had presented the two reports of the committee after vetting.
In the reports presented to the House, the committee recommended the approval of the nominees by consensus.
Commenting on the reports, the Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Abraham Ossei Aidooh, said Members of Parliament (MPs) were aware of the capabilities of Mr Owusu-Adjapong, who is the immediate-past Majority Leader.
“We, therefore, hope that you will bring your experience and expertise to bear on the ministry to ensure that proper things are done in the country’s electrification programmes,” he said.
He said it was unfortunate that a lot of shoddy works had been witnessed within the system and cited Tema where some poles erected for electrification had started falling even before the completion of the project.
He, therefore, urged the new minister to open his eyes and make sure that such shoddy works were avoided to ensure that the country got value for money for projects being implemented within the sector.
Mr Aidooh also charged the Parliamentary Committee on Mines and Energy to regularly visit project sites to do a thorough inspection in order to serve as a check on shoddy work.
The MP for Lawra-Nandom, Dr Ben Kumbuor, expressed worry about the haphazard manner in which the Self-Help Electrification Programmes (SHEP) were being implemented.
“I urge you to take a serious look about the abuses in the system and bring the implementation of the programme on track,” he said, explaining that it was unfortunate that some communities that had not been included in the programme had been presented with low tension poles to the detriment of those who had been pencilled in to benefit.
He noted that since the new educational reforms required that students became computer literate, electricity should be extended to all schools to ensure the success of the reforms.
When he caught the eye of the Second Deputy Speaker, Mr Malik Yakubu Alhassan, who was in the chair, the Minority Spokesman on Mines and Energy, Mr Moses Asaga, challenged the new minister to work closely with the Minority and heed their advice to help streamline the sector.
He acknowledged that the rising cost of crude oil was a daunting task that should be tackled in a bi-partisan manner for a decision to be taken on whether the country should hedge or not.
For his part, the MP for Sunyani East and Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Mr J.H. Mensah, said although six months would not be enough for the implementation of any meaningful project, the minister designate could assist in the fashioning out of a sustainable energy policy for the country.
The Minority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin drew Mr Owusu-Adjapong’s attention to lack of information within the energy sector and cited the West African Gas Pipeline as a case in point, saying that it was unfortunate that in spite of assurances given by officials, the project was yet to be realised.
He called for measures to enable Parliament to make an input into agreement being signed between Ghana and its partners on the project.
Commenting on the nomination of the Supreme Court judges, the MPs expressed shock about the admission of the nominees that corruption within the judiciary had moved from perception to reality.
They, therefore, called for measures to enable the Judiciary to purge itself of such practices to enable Ghanaians to have faith in the judicial system.