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Toflekpo Ada demands apology
from Energy Minister
Toflekpo-Ada (GAR), July 5, Ghanadot/GNA - The People of Ada
Toflekpo in the Dangme East District of the Greater Accra
Region on Thursday demanded an unqualified apology from Mr.
Kofi Adda, Minister of Energy, for a statement he made in
Parliament, which they claim, portrayed salt as an
unimportant commodity to the national economy.
"We the people of Dangme East District, wish to state
categorically that the decision by the Ghana National
Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) to go into exploration of this
natural resource of the area was meant to improve the
economy of this country and the living conditions of our
people," Mr Tetteh Kwabla Akuako, a spokesperson, said in a
statement he read at a press conference at Toflekpo-Ada.
"You will recall that on Tuesday June 19, 2007, the Minister
of Energy, Mr Joseph Kofi Adda, in making a statement in
Parliament on the recent discovery of oil, passed sarcastic
comments and sought to demonstrate in a manner which
portrayed salt as an unimportant commodity."
He said the people in the area considered the Minister's
utterances and demonstration on the floor of Parliament as
an affront and very offensive to their sensibilities and
expressed their disappointment at the way government had
handled the discovery of oil, which was "nothing new".
Mr Akuako noted that petro-chemical industry relied on salt
as a vital component in the processing of petroleum
products.
"If what the Minister did on the floor of Parliament is what
government's position is, then, we consider the president's
initiative (on salt) as one of throwing dust into the eyes
of Ghanaians and particularly the people in this area."
Mr. Akuako advised the NPP government to reconsider the
value of salt to the people of the area and the economy as a
whole.
"If well-managed, this sector alone can play the lead role
in taking this country to the level of middle income status
since the entire West Africa sub-region is (a big) market
for salt."
GNA
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