By Edward Vamboi
After Energy Minister, Kanja Sesay took up office at that Ministry he discovered that it was in shambles with uncoordinated approaches made toward the light system in the city. He had to do restructuring before electricity power supply became consistent again in the city which was almost non-existent at the time he took up office but because of the numerous problems he found in that Ministry, there have been a few hitches here and there.
Most citizens were not alarmed though knowing Kanja Sesay as a Minister that actually works and a Minister who not only delegates responsibilities but also monitors to make sure that the work is done.
A fortnight ago when there was a small hitch, the Energy Minister went lengths to make sure that those hitches were put to an end and because of his moves, electricity power supply has become consistent again in the city.
Working with an abled team, the Minister is solving the transmitter problems that were plaguing the whole nation, depriving whole areas of light for long periods in the past but now under his leadership the time between when a transmitter encounters a problem to the time when that problem is solved, has been halved making sure that whole areas do not stay long without light for long periods.
Citizens all over the city and elsewhere in the country are very happy with the way Kanja Sesay is managing things for them to ensure that they enjoy the pleasure which light brings with it.
Ordinary citizens who spoke to this Press said that things are far better now, with one making this remark: “We have become so used to light now that just a few minutes break make us a bit unhappy as light is no longer a luxury but something that we now take for granted since Kanja Sesay took up the mantle of the Minister of Energy.
All around the city citizens are rating the Energy Minister very high and are showering praises on him for a work well done.
In another development, on the 6th March 2020 the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the Ministry of Energy have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the aim to strengthening the relationship and collaboration between the two institutions in order to address issues of corruption in electricity supply and electricity theft.
At the historic event which took place at the Commission’s Head Office in Freetown, the Minister of Energy, Alhaji Kanja Sesay, said the signing of the MoU is predicated on series of discussions between the ACC Commissioner and himself aimed at boosting Electricity Cost recovery which had been challenging. He added that he had recognized the commendable work the Commission is doing in fighting corruption in the country. He alluded to the Commission’s impressive work in the education sector to curb examination malpractices – something, he said, had motivated him to invite the Commission to similarly look into the energy sector. “I would like to invite you to pay attention to our own sector because there are lot of corrupt practices ongoing,” the Minister said.
The Minister further stated that the Energy sector has been facing many challenges in the area of electricity generation, transmission and distribution; and electricity theft being widespread through illegal connections and diversions.
He said his expectation of both institutions is to bring a difference through injecting transparency and efficiency to the revenue generation within the energy sector.
On his part, the Commissioner of the ACC, Francis Ben Kaifala Esq. expressed his utmost joy at the signing of the MoU, describing it as an important day for the Commission to have a Ministry, by itself, to request the attention of the Commission in the fight against corruption and pledge to provide a collaborative support. The Commissioner said, electricity is an important commodity for the livelihood of citizens and that bulk of the funds generated from that sector ought to be accounted for to ensure a sustained supply of that Public Good by the government.
The ACC Boss furthered that the Commission does not have the technical expertise; but will rely on the Ministry of Energy to provide such expertise, equipment and resources to work with a Special Sting Operation Squad of the ACC to detect corrupt activities, practices and deliberate failures to pay for electricity consumption by especially large electricity consumers like Fishing Companies, Welding Companies, Supermarkets, manufacturing factories, etc. He also said that even though the Commission is limited in manpower supply it will try its best to provide a taskforce to address the challenges in the sector adding that “where there is the will, numbers do not matter”.
The Commissioner ended by assuring the Ministry of Energy of the commitment of the ACC to this new partnership.
In attendance at the signing ceremony were the Deputy Minister of Energy, the Chairmen of the Board of EGTC and EDSA, the Directors -General of the EGTC and the EDSA, various senior staff and stakeholders in the Energy Sector, journalists, etc
