TIG Post

Tag: John Jinapor

  • Ghana is benefiting from Russia-Ukraine war – John Jinapor

    The Ranking Member of Parliament’s Mines and Energy Committee, John Jinapor, has refuted claims by the government that the Russia-Ukraine war and the COVID-19 pandemic are the cause of the challenges in Ghana.

    According to him, data from the Ministry of Finance shows that these two events have been a blessing to the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government.

    John Jinapor, who made these remarks in an XYY interview monitored by GhanaWeb, explained that because of the Russia-Ukraine war and the COVID-19 pandemic, the government had exceeded most of its revenue projections.

    “If you look at the summary of the financial data of the country from January to June this year, which was published by the Ministry of Finance, you will notice that the government has benefited from these two things, particularly because of the rise in the prices of petroleum prices.

    “The Summary of Central Government Operation, which was published by the ministry, shows that the country at the end of the 2nd quarter collected 127 percent of its projected tax revenue from oil products. When it comes to royalties from oil production, we have gotten 133 percent of projected revenue. For the financial sector levy, we have gotten 133 percent of projected revenue.

    “For the COVID-19 levy, we have gotten 170 percent of what we budgeted for. We have gotten 150 percent of the oil revenue we budgeted for. So, one can observe that Ghana is rather benefiting from the Russia-Ukraine war in terms of revenue when it comes to the government side,” he said in Twi.

    Jinapor, who is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Yapei-Kusawgu, further stated that Ghanaians are going through a lot of hardship because the government has refused to use the windfall in revenues to bring some reprieve to the citizenry.

    Meanwhile, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, during his speech at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, said that the Russia-Ukraine War was having a devastating impact on Ghana and other African countries.

    “As we grappled with these economic challenges, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine burst upon us, aggravating an already difficult situation. It is not just the dismay that we feel at seeing such deliberate devastation of cities and towns in Europe in the year 2022; we are feeling this war directly in our lives in Africa.

    “Every bullet, every bomb, every shell that hits a target in Ukraine, hits our pockets and our economies in Africa. The economic turmoil is global with inflation as the number one enemy this year,” the president said.

  • Attacks against Akufo-Addo by the NDC are unjustified – NPP Savannah Regional Organiser

    In response to what he called unjustified verbal attacks on President Nana Akufo Addo during his recent visit to the region, Nana Kwame Aboagye Aseda, the Savannah Regional Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), demanded an immediate apology from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Savannah Region and John Jinapor, the MP for the Yapei-Kusawgu Constituency.

    Speaking in Yapei, President Akufo Addo noted that the Yapei-Kusawgu constituency had produced two members of parliament during his lifetime in the form of John Jinapor, the former deputy minister of energy, and Alhaji Amadu Seidu. He added that it is surprising that 17 communities in the constituency are still not connected to the national grid.

    The MP for the Yapei-Kusawgu Constituency and former Deputy Minister of Energy in the erstwhile Mahama administration, John Abdulai Jinapor in response said when he was appointed the Deputy Minister of Energy and Petroleum, the Yapei-Kusawgu Constituency had only 4 towns connected to the national grid (i.e. Buipe, Yapei, Sankpala and Kusawgu) and “by dint of hardwork, the constituency currently has about 100 communities connected to the national grid as part of an aggressive national electrification programme under the NDC Government”.

    Commenting on this, Savannah Region NPP Organiser said the NDC in their attacks never denied that the 17 communities are without electricity but took to the lane of propaganda and insults which he sees to be an insult on to the Yapeiwura for pushing for development for his people.

    Nana Kwame further said President Akufo-Addo did not conjure the names of the communities without electricity, but was responding to a plea from the Chief of Yapei who sat in for the Kusawguwura.

    He stated that the NPP will make sure what is due the people of the Savannah Region will surely be delivered to them as the NDC is scared anytime President Nana Addo is in the region.

    He said the Savannah Regional Communication officer of the NDC Malik Basintale is only good in issuing statements from Accra without knowing what is happening in the Savannah Region and therefore advised him to visit the region to see for himself the transformation and development of the Savannah Region under the NPP.

    The Savannah Region NPP Organiser added that he is very optimistic that the NPP will connect not only the 17 communities in the Yapei-Kusawgu constituency to the national grid but will go ahead and heed to the call of the chiefs and people of the Constituency to create the district out of the present Yapei- Kusawgu Constituency that they are yearning for and further add more roads to the existing ones provided by the NPP in the Constituency.

    He used the opportunity to assure his party faithfuls that the development the NPP has brought to the Savannah Region under the able leadership of the Damongo MP and Minister of Lands and Natural Resources Hon Samuel Abu Jinapor and other leading members of the party in the region, he is very sure the region will reward the NPP with additional two seats in the 2024 general elections since the party has vibrant and hardworking branch, Constituency and regional executives who will leave no stone unturned in their quest to breaking the 8.

    Nana Kwame Aboagye advised the people of the Savannah Region to continue to have much confidence in the NPP since that is the only party that develops the Savannah Region and Gonjaland more.

  • Don’t blame others for your failures – John Jinapor to Akufo-Addo

    President Akufo-Addo when he met chiefs in the Yapei-Kusawgu area last week when he visited the Savanna Region MP said their MP, John Jinapor when he was deputy minister of Power was unable to connect some 17 communities to the national electricity grid and was also not able to help establish a Senior High school in the area.

    Reacting to President Akufo-Addo’s comment, John Jinapor enquired from the President when he will fulfil his campaign promise of creating a new district out of the Central Gonja District and the establishment of a new Senior High school in the Kusawgu area.

    Mr Jinapor said, President Akufo-Addo instead of answering the constituents when he was going to fulfil his campaign promise, “rather chose to throw wild and flippant allegations against me, John Abdulai Jinapor, for what he described as my inability to connect some 17 communities to the national electricity grid. As if that was not enough, he proceeded to accuse me of not helping to establish the Senior High school that he, President Akufo-Addo promised.”

    In a post on Facebook, the Yapei-Kusawgu legislator asked President Akufo-Addo to “crosscheck his facts in future before seeking to deceive the citizenry with concocted, unsubstantiated, and fabricated allegations.”

    Exposing the fabrications of a non-performing president

    During the recent visit of President Akufo-Addo to the Savannah Region, the chiefs of the Yapei-Kusawgu Constituency sought to enquire from the President when he will fulfil his campaign promises of creating a new district out of the Central Gonja District and the establishment of a new Senior High school in the Kusawgu area.

    In response, President Akuffo-Addo rather chose to throw wild and flippant allegations against me, John Abdulai Jinapor, for what he described as my inability to connect some 17 communities to the national electricity grid. As if that was not enough, he proceeded to accuse me of not helping to establish the Senior High school that he, President Akufo-Addo promised.

    For the record, when I was appointed Deputy Minister for Energy and Petroleum, the Yapei-Kusawgu Constituency had only 4 towns connected to the national grid (i.e., Buipe, Yapei, Sankpala and Kusawgu).

    By dint of hard work, the constituency currently has about 100 communities connected to the national grid as part of an aggressive national electrification programme under the John Mahama NDC administration.

    So, Mr. President, if we have only 17 towns yet to be connected to the national grid, the critical question you should answer is what have you done so far to complement what you inherited? You cannot be sleeping on the job and blame others for your own failures.

    More importantly, at national level, the NDC Government expanded access to electricity from 50% to 83.24%. This can be confirmed in Paragraph 463 of the 2017 budget as presented by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta: “Under rural electrification, 1,212 communities were connected to the national grid, increasing the national electricity access rate from 80.5 percent to 83.24 percent”.

    President Akufo-Addo since assuming office and despite receiving over GH¢20 billion in ESLA Revenues, has only increased the access rate by a paltry 3%— from 83.24% to 86.63% as captured under Paragraph 810 of the 2022 budget: “In pursuit of H.E. The President’s aspiration to achieve universal coverage of electricity by 2024, a total of 162 communities were connected to the national grid thereby increasing the national electricity access rate from 85.17 percent in 2020 to 86.63 percent in 2021.”

    On the education front, President Mahama can be credited for the provision of three (3) Senior High Schools (Buipe Senior High, Buipe Technical and Mpaha Senior High) in the Yapei-Kusawgu Constituency.

    It is an undeniable fact that under the leadership of President Mahama, the Yapei-Kusawgu witnessed the commencement and commissioning of the Buipe Cement Factory and the Sheanut Processing factory not to mention the ultramodern Buipe District Hospital.

    Unfortunately, under President Akuffo-Addo, the Sheanut factory has been grossly mismanaged and run-down for some time now. No wonder he conveniently refused to visit Buipe, the district capital of the Central Gonja District.

    For someone who failed to provide portable drinking water for his own people as Minister and MP, until President Mahama provided portable water for the people of Kyebi, the least President Akufo-Addo can do is to acknowledge the good works of his predecessor.

    I wish to entreat President Akufo-Addo to crosscheck his facts in future before seeking to deceive the citizenry with concocted, unsubstantiated, and fabricated allegations.

    Ghanaians are indeed suffering under the abysmal performance of the Nana and Bawumia government and the least they can expect from this non-performing government is to be truthful and honest with the facts.

    Source: Graphiconline

  • GH¢10bn of Ofori-Attas request to service debt Jinapor

    The Member of Parliament for Yapei-Kusawgu Constituency, John Jinapor, has noted that Ghana is broke at the moment considering the budget statement presented to Parliament by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta for the first quarter of 2021.

    He explained that out of the GH¢27 billion the Finance Minister is requesting from Parliament, GH¢10 billion will be used to service debts.

    This, he said, indicates that the country is broke.

    Mr Ofori-Atta was seeking parliamentary approval for over GH¢27 billion for the first quarter of 2021.

    He said this amount is for the purpose of meeting expenditure necessary to carry on the services of the government in respect of the coronavirus period.

    In his budget statement presented to Parliament on Wednesday, October 28, Mr Ofori-Atta asked the House to approve an estimated GH¢27,434,180,520.00 to be withdrawn from the Consolidated Fund.

    “For the purpose of meeting expenditure necessary to carry on the services of the of the Government in respect of the period expiring three months from the beginning of the financial year or on the coming into operation of the Appropriation Act in respect of the 2021 Financial year.”

    But speaking to journalists on the budget presentation, Mr Jinapor said: “In 2016 when Honourable Seth Terkper, the then Finance Minister came here, he requested for about GH¢10 billion.

    “Today Mr Ken Ofori Atta is requesting GH¢27 billion. Out of that GH¢27 billion over GH¢10 billion of that amount will be used to service debts it tells you that this country is broke.”

    Source: 3 News

  • Today in History: AMERI deal: Homes of Jinapor, Ayine raided

    Exactly three years ago, private residences of former deputy Power Minister John Jinapor and former deputy Attorney General, Dominic Ayine were reportedly ransacked by a team of armed security personnel.

    The raid was reportedly in connection with the Ameri power deal which was then under investigation.

    It was reported that Mr Jinapor was restrained from leaving his house for 2 hours.

    In the course of the same week, home of Dr Kwabena Donkor, a former Minister of Power was also raided by security officers.

    The Ameri deal was part of measures to address power supply challenges in the country in 2015.

    As a result, the government entered into a BOOT agreement with AMERI Energy on February 10, 2015 for the provision of a fast-track turn-key power generation solution through the construction of a power plant.

    Per the agreement, AMERI Energy installed 10 gas turbines and all related equipment and provided certain services related to the operation and maintenance of the plant for a period of five years.

    Read the full story originally published on July 28, 2017, on Ghanaweb

    The homes of former deputy Power Minister John Jinapor and former deputy attorney general Dominic Ayine have allegedly been raided by some individuals believed to be working with the CID of the Ghana Police Service.

    It is unclear the reasons for ransack but Starrfmonline.com sources say it is in connection with the ongoing investigations into the Ameri power deal.

    According to sources, two of the five armed men, who accosted Mr. Jinapor while he was leaving home for parliament, wielded AK-47 riffles.

    The former presidential spokesperson was allegedly restrained from leaving his house for 2 hours.

    The development comes on the back of a similar raid at the residence of former Power Minister Kwabena Donkor last Tuesday.

     

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Voters Register: I stand with Fulanis – John Jinapor

    The Member of Parliament (MP) for the Yapei Kusawgu Constituency of the Savannah Region Hon John Abudulai Jinapor has expressed his solidarity with the Fulani Community in the Constituency and assured the them that he strongly stand with them and will do everything constitutionally possible to ensure all Fulanis in the Yapei-Kusawgu Constituency (Central Gonja District) who are qualified to register will not be disenfranchise.

    The nationalities of over 90 Fulanis who were born in Ghana and meet all the requirements are being challenged by the NPP in the Yapei Kusawgu Constituency and going through the hearing notice at the Electoral Commission office in Buipe.

    The MP said he has been following keenly, attempts by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Yapei-Kusawgu Constituency to challenge the eligibility of over 90 residents of Fulani extraction in the Central Gonja District of the Savannah Region in the ongoing voters Registration exercise.

    “I wish to state unequivocally that the nationality of a citizen is not determined by his tribe, Fulanis for that matter cannot be discriminated against as nationals of the Republic of Ghana”.

    John Abudulai Jinapor said the NDC is on the side of the Fulanis and will continue to support them in these trying and difficult times.

    Source: Nkilgi FM

  • Such arrant lie, when did you solve dumsor? – Jinapor challenges Bawumia

    John Jinapor, former Deputy Power Minister and MP for Yapei/Kasawgu constituency, has asked Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to credit where it is due by acknowledging the efforts of the previous Mahama regime in resolving the ‘dumsor’ crisis in the country before President Nana Akufo-Addo took up the reins of government.

    He also asserted that there was higher and better economic growth under the leadership of John Dramani Mahama.

    Bawumia’s Account On Mahama Economy

    Speaking to journalists at the Jubilee House on Monday, May 5, 2020, Dr. Bawumia reminded the former President that he superintended over a weak economy between the years 2012 and 2016.

    The Vice President slammed Mr. Mahama for failing to mitigate the economic crises his own administration created for the Ghanaian populace.

    This was after the latter cynically questioned the much-touted robustness of the Ghanaian economy, describing it as being in an ICU just a month into the scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic on the operations of local businesses.

    “If you want to test the robustness of an economy, you test it in a time of crises. Thankfully, we have had two crises. Under the NDC, it was an internally-generated crisis, which was dumsor. Under the Presidency of Nana Akufo-Addo, there has been an externally generated crisis, which has been the global Coronavirus pandemic.”

    “I just want you to ask yourself, how have these two crises been managed? The dumsor crisis which crippled this economy for four years. What were the mitigating measures offered to businesses and individuals during the dumsor, an internally generated crisis?” the Vice President questioned.

    Trust Akufo-Addo in times of crises Bawumia

    Volume 90%

    He further stated; “We saw that even during dumsor, electricity prices were being increased, fuel prices were being increased, teacher trainee allowances were being cancelled, nursing trainee training allowances were being cancelled. All of that was happening during that particular crisis.”

    “You look at the Coronavirus crisis and you look at the difference in terms of what has happened. The President has reduced electricity prices and has made it free for lifeline consumers. He has given free water to all Ghanaians for three months, has made sure that there is a stimulus package of 600 million Ghana Cedis for businesses and we have seen domestic production of PPEs (personal protective equipment) for our health workers locally.”

    Check the data well before you speak else you will embarrass yourself Bawumia tells Mahama

    Volume 90%

    John Jinapor’s Rebuttal

    But to John Jinapor, Ex-President John Mahama is a better driver of the economy than President Akufo-Addo.

    He wondered how the government could subsidize electricity bills in these trying times of COVID-19 if not for the interventions that the Mahama administration made to resolve the energy crises.

    Making his submissions on Peace FM’s ‘Kokrokoo’, he maintained strongly that President Akufo-Addo didn’t inherit a ‘dumsor’ economy from the Mahama administration, adding that the current government is enjoying the fruits of the good works of its predecessor.

    The Yapei/Kusawgu MP therefore challenged the Vice President to compare the performance of the current administration and erstwhile Mahama government, with particular emphasis on the energy sector.

    “If the NPP say we didn’t resolve it, tell us when you resolved dumsor. At least that should be settled. If you say when you took over, there was still dumsor; are we saying we still have dumsor and if it’s resolved too, tell us the period you resolved it,” he said.

    Source: Peace FM

  • Coronavirus: Ghana not ahead of the virus, ramp up! – Jinapor to government

    Member of Parliament for Yapei/Kusawgu constituency and former Deputy Power Minister, John Jinapor, has slammed the Akufo-Addo administration over the country’s recent case count of COVID-19, claiming the government is not ahead of the virus as widely proclaimed by the Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah.

    Ghana’s COVID-19 case count has now risen to 2,719 with 294 recoveries and 18 deaths.

    The Regional representation of the cases indicates that Greater Accra Region has 2,332 cases, Ashanti Region – 124, Eastern Region – 94, Central Region – 38, Volta Region – 30, Oti Region – 23, Western Region – 21, Upper West Region – 19, Upper East Region – 19, Northern Region – 13, Western North Region – 4 and the North East Region has two cases.

    The Information Minister believes the government’s enhanced testing technique has been beneficial because it’s helped the government to go ahead to detect the virus before a rapid transmission in the country.

    Also, according to President’s Health Advisor, Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare, Ghana’s case count is one of the lowest in the world with a low mortality rate of 0.66%.

    But to John Jinapor, government needs not gloat that it is doing a better job at preventing the disease from spreading in the country.

    He would rather the current administration steps up its game in fighting the pandemic.

    The Yapei-Kusawgu MP raised issues with the country’s testing technique explaining that it takes two weeks for a person to receive results when sample is tested, which to him, is a long period for infections to spread from one person to another.

    “You can imagine what will happen within the two weeks. So, we are not ahead of the virus. We’re simply not ahead of it . . . The luck in Africa is that the whole of the continent, when you take a critical look at the sub-Saharan Africa in particular and South Africa compared to Western countries; our rate of infection is low. I mean there is no doubt about that. The data proves the rate of infection is very low but still if we are almost getting to 3,000 for a country such as Ghana, then it’s very alarming. I will say ramp up our actions. We can’t continue our old ways because the cases are increasing and more Regions are being covered. So, it calls for very serious actions,” he stated on Peace FM’s ‘Kokrokoo’ morning show.

     

    Source: Peace FM

  • Its a big lie, Ghana does not pay $500 million for excess capacity Jinapor

    A former deputy minister of energy and petroleum, John Jinapor, has described as “a big lie” reports that Ghana pays $500 million annually for excess capacity in the electricity sector.

    This payment, according to reports, arises from the take-or-pay contracts signed under the erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration.

    Reacting to the claim, Mr Jinapor in a statement said “this assertion is false and misleading. And the facts do not support the spurious claim.”

    He noted that a cursory look at the 2019 report from the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) which is the sole off-taker to the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) in Ghana reveals without doubt that about 11,529.97GWH of electricity was procured out of a total projected dependable capacity of 3,424MW.

    “It is instructive to note that by accounting for the 25% required reserve margin which serves as insurance for the Nation, the claim of Excess Capacity becomes flawed,” he said.

    Mr. Jinapor stressed that the assertion that payment of $500 million has been made as a result of a excess capacity is not only “erroneous but completely false.”

    “If Ghana really has 2,000MW excess capacity for which we pay US$500 million, how come Ghanaians are being made to endure load shedding (dumsor) for the three weeks despite having excess capacity?” He quizzed.

    Source: classfmonline.com

  • Ignore claims Im a beneficiary of GETFund scholarship John Jinapor

    Member of Parliament for Yapei Kusawgu Constituency, John Jinapor has refuted claims alleging that he benefited from GETFund scholarship to study Master in Oil and Gas Accounting at the Robert Gordon University in Scotland.

    According to him, he never attended the Robert Gordon University.

    In a Facebook post he said “Ignore the false and spurious claims by the NPP that I’m a beneficiary of GETFund scholarship. I am not and I have never attended the said Robert Gordon University.”

    John Jinapor comment comes on the back of a document purported to be a list of NDC beneficiaries of the GETFund scholarship in circulation on social media.

    Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Kennedy Osei Nyarko has threatened to take legal action against the Auditor-General if he does not clear his name from the list of beneficiaries of the GETFund scholarship.

    The deputy minister who is also the MP for Akim Swedru said: “If I can personally sponsor for the education of peoples wards both local and abroad to further their education from my own personal resources how much more will it be difficult to sponsor my own education.”

    According to him, “this is a big gaffe coming from the Auditor General”.

    The audit report stated that MP received a scholarship to attend the SOAS University of London, UK despite the fact that the cost was not stated.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

     

  • ‘NPP are problem solvers in opposition but in government they become the problem’ Jinapor jabs

    Member of Parliament for Yapei/Kusawgu and former Deputy Power Minister, John Jinapor has once again punched holes in Vice President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia’s presentation; insisting that it is deceptive.

    Jinapor who was the former Deputy Minister for Power under the erstwhile Mahama administration recently led a press conference reacting to the ruling government’s maiden Townhall meeting and Results fair led by Dr Bawumia.

    “It is important and I like it that Dr Bawumia decided to do some comparisons, we welcome that comparisons. Indeed, we want them to bring that on because we hold a superior record head-to-head, pound-for-pound, eyeball-to-eyeball when it comes to NPP and NDC,” he said.

    Reiterating similar comments on Friday’s edition of Peace FM’s morning show ‘Kokrokoo’, Jinapor indicated that “If we take what he said one after the other, there is complete and total deception”.

    According to him, “when NPP is in opposition, they have all the answers and when they come into government, they become the problem.”

     

    Source: peacefmonline.com

  • What is the Forestry Commission doing for Okyenhene to plant trees – Jinapor quizzes

    Member of Parliament for Yapei Kusawgu constituency in the Northern Region, John Jinapor, has raised concerns as to why an amount of GHC1.5 million was donated to Okyenhene for environment and greening when the forestry commission is functional.

    According to him, GNPC must provide details on the kind of trees Okyenhene would be planting and if he is collaborating with the Forestry Commission in achieving the purpose of the project.

    Read: Farmers record 100% in yields from Planting for Food and Jobs programme at Ho West

    This follows after the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) approved an amount of GHC1.5m towards the 20th anniversay of the paramount chief of Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Area, Okyenhene Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori-Panin.

    The GHC1.5m donation to Okyenhene is to be used for environment and greening and will be paid over a period of three years.

    Concerns were raised after details of the financial requests by GNPC’s Brand, Communication and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) emerged.

    Read: Okyenhene rejects community mining initiative as he endorses planting for food and jobs

    Speaking on the matter, the legislator said “When this things come we need details. what kind of trees? Is he collaborating with the forestry commission; what is the forestry commission doing that Okyehene now has to be planting trees. We have agencies that conduct these jobs and so if you have another paramount chief who says he wants to conduct security the first question will be that what is the police service doing. Is the police service incapacitated? Is the person collaborating with the police service? Is the Okeyehene collaborating with the forestry commission. What trees are we growing? What is the cost and how do we sustain it. I think this are issues we ought to be looking at as a nation.”

    “When we do these things is not as if we are against one chief or the other but we are only seeking to do what is proper or right and can other chief also engage in fish farming, snail rearing and all kinds of things. These are legitimate calls that has come up and we must take them up and deal with them”.

     

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com