Many parts of Ghana were plunged into darkness due to a lack of gas to power machinery used to generate electricity in the country.

Power distribution firm Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) says the situation has caused "a supply gap of 550MW at peak time" at Tema power plant, near the capital, Accra.

This is about 10% of the country's total capacity.

The massive outage started on Thursday evening.

Power has now been restored in some areas but GRIDCo spokesperson Dzifa Bampoh told the BBC there would be more outages on Friday evening, during peak hours.

Ghana is currently going through its worst economic crisis in a generation.

There are frequent power cuts in Ghana but this is the worst nationwide outage for two years.

A June study said the country's current energy provision was "critically unhealthy and tottering towards a power crisis".

The power situation, which could worsen in the coming years, has been exacerbated by the country's financial distress, the Centre for Socioeconomic Studies (CSS) study showed.

In July, independent power producers in the country threatened to shut down operations over arrears owed to them by state-run Electricity Company of Ghana.

In a statement on Thursday, GRIDCo, the power operator, said electricity supply to consumers in some parts of Ghana would be curtailed as a result of "limited gas supply" to the Tema power plant.

"The inconvenience caused is deeply regretted," the statement added.

The GRIDCo spokesperson said it was caused by a problem in gas supply from Takoradi.

Some reports say the issue was that gas suppliers had not been paid.

The power utility firm did not say how long it would take for normal supplies to resume.

Ghana has for several years been experiencing power shortages popularly known as "dumsor", which means on and off in the Akan language.

The West African country gets its much of its electricity from hydro and thermal sources, but these are often poorly maintained.

The country has in the last few years become heavily reliant on gas as a major source of energy for electricity generation and any shortage in gas results in power outages.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-67236078

A former operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Abubakar Madaki, has told a Federal High Court in Lagos how a former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, handed over N1.2bn cash to former Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose.

Fayose and his firm, Spotless Investment Limited, are being prosecuted by the EFCC for allegedly laundering N6.9 billion.

Obanikoro had earlier narrated before the court how N1.2 billion was allegedly taken to Fayose, using an aircraft.

In continuation of his evidence on Friday, Madaki, who is the 13th prosecution witness, told Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke that out of the money, the former Ekiti State governor bought property worth N270 million from one Rabiu Kundili in Abuja and also deposited N100 million in a fixed deposit account.

Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, the former EFCC operative stated that between June 17 and 24, 2014, a N150 million cash deposit was lodged into the bank account of the second defendant (Spotless Investment Limited), by one Biodun Agbele, an aide to Fayose.

The witness further told the court that on August 24, 2016, N168 million was also deposited into the second defendant’s bank account.

He maintained that the money was released from an account in the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and was part of monies under the control of a former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.)

Madaki adds that the claim by the first defendant (Fayose) that the N1.2bn received from Obanikoro was the campaign funds from his political party, the Peoples Democratic Party, was investigated.

He said, ”In our investigation, we contacted the Peoples Democratic Party secretariat in Abuja. The party denied receiving any money from the National Security Adviser, or the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. The party also said it did not give any campaign money to Senator Musiliu Obanikoro to give to the first defendant.

“So the funds moved from Diamond Bank to Zenith Bank were the funds that came from the impress account which is under the control of the Office of the National Security Adviser to President Goodluck, Jonathan, Colonel Sambo Dasuki.”

He said an opportunity was given to the first defendant and his associate, Agbele, to explain the source of the huge sum of money deposited into the account of the second defendant but they could not give any reasonable explanation.

Aneke adjourned the matter till November 24 for continuation of trial.

Fayose and his company were re-arraigned before Aneke for alleged money laundering and non-declaration of his assets after an initial arraignment before Justice Mojisola Olatoregun on October 22, 2018.

The EFCC re-arraigned Fayose and Spotless Investment Limited on an 11-count bordering on money laundering and stealing to the tune of N6.9 billion.

In the amended charge, Fayose, and Agbele, who is also standing trial on alleged money laundering offences before another division of the court, were alleged to have on June 17, 2014, taken possession of N1.219 billion to fund Fayose’s 2014 governorship campaign in Ekiti State.

They were accused of committing criminal breach of trust, theft and stealing of public funds.

They were also alleged to have on the same June 17, 2014, without going through financial institutions, received $5 million from Obanikoro, who was the Minister of State for Defence.

The offences, according to the EFCC, are contrary to Sections 15 (2)(d); 1 and 16 (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended, and punishable under Sections 15 (3) (4); 16 (2) (b) of the same Act.

Fayose denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

https://punchng.com/ex-efcc-operative-testifies-against-fayose-as-ex-govs-trial-resumes/

A.nother

P.redicted

C.rash




2moro it will be N1250.......by Sunday N1300