The residents said the power situation had bedevilled them for many years and yet no conscious efforts had been made by the Volta River Authority (VRA) and the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) to resolve it.

Subsequently, the aggrieved residents have given a one-week ultimatum to the VRA and NEDCo to take serious measures to stop the unreliable power provision else they would advise themselves on the next line of action.

Demonstration

Last Monday, the residents took to the streets of Sandema, the capital of the Builsa North Municipality, to register their displeasure about the situation and to put pressure on duty bearers to address it.

Afterwards, the demonstrators presented a two-page petition to officials of VRA and NEDCO, as well as the management of the Builsa North Municipal Assembly, for onward submission to the appropriate authorities.

Reading the contents of the petition, a leader of the demonstrators, Theophilus Awennisiak Akoba, said the Paramount Chief of the Builsa Traditional Area in 2022 during the Feok Festival made a special request to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to do something about the situation.

He said President Akufo-Addo in his response gave an assurance that he was going to make sure the area was provided with a sub-station to bring finality to the erratic power supply in the area.

He stated that the excuse that the erratic power supply in the area was as a result of bats interfering with the electrical cables was untenable, and that “although bats have invaded the 37 Military Hospital area, the hospital has regular power supply”.

“We do not want to believe the story and if the right things are done at the right time, our power fluctuation could be improved to bring respite to the thousands of residents and businesses operating in the affected areas,” he said.

Sub-station

He appealed for the fixing of an automatic recloser switch as quickly as possible, as well as the construction of a sub-station as a matter of urgency as they would be a permanent solution to the current power problem.

“By this petition, we are urging VRA and NEDCo and the government to make provision in the 2024 Budget to construct a sub-station in the area to prevent any further future outages in the affected areas,” he said.

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Builsa North, Vida Anaab, who received the petition, commended the demonstrators for peacefully trumpeting their grievances over the power challenges faced in the area.

She assured them that the petition would be presented to the appropriate institutions for the required attention to be given to bring relief to all the residents.