Dominic Achinkok (Websy)
Dear VRA/NEDCO,
It may sound practically impossible at a spy of the caption above to say Builsas do not have electricity but the situation regarding electricity distribution in the Builsaland and its effects in varied areas in the lives of the people has made it possible.
Memories of the ordeal people nationwide went through during a time Ghana was hit by severe power crises and almost bringing the nation to its knees, still run fresh. For a period of a year and half people woke up knowing not how they will be able to work or study because their businesses depended on electricity, their office work depended on electricity, school children could not study after school hours and night robbery of shops took a rising toll.
This period came to pass yet the environs of Chuchuliga, Sandema, Siniensi, Wiaga and Kadema for majority of the time in 5 years and within many hours of the day continue to experience power fluctuations, power outages and in some instances go a complete day-run without power.
The long-term effect of this is:
EDUCATION: School pupils/students at all levels are unable to study in the night and may be uncomfortable during the day studying because the District library and classrooms with fan may not have lights to power fans. Tertiary students who are unable to buy hardcopy of books but rather depend on soft copies are unable to study because their gadgets won’t have power. In this time of Corona pandemic, students within the Builsaland will face grave challenges accessing online lectures and materials given that their gadgets won’t last for long. A student like Asakpagsagyenta-miigminuapo Avarikaasi Aziz in Kadema-Champulingsa who wants to be an Electrical Engineer may be unable to do so because of you.
BUSINESS: It’s been increasingly difficult for anyone operating small cold store to feel secured and stock goods for the consumption of the people. The reason is simple, they stand to collapse if they go without electricity for up two days. I grew up in the Builsa land knowing that cold-fish is gotten from a place called Navrongo Cold stores. Must this still be the case for the young ones at this time? Businesses that are dependent of electricity include grinding mills, iced-water vendors, drinking bars, Photocopy and printing shops and to the pharmaceuticals/chemical shops drugs needed to be stored under low temperatures. Must they go hungry because someone is still not doing his/her work right?
OFFICES: Many if not all MMDA and their various departments have moved from hardcopy work to soft copy administration i.e. Preparing documents, sending and responding to emails and other electronic correspondence, Live video conferences, online accessing of information etc. How is the Builsa North Municipal and Builsa South District Assemblies expected to keep up with their counterparts when there are days they have to work without electricity.
SOCIAL: The social implications of your inability to provide the people with reliable electricity cannot be overemphasized. My people sleep throughout the night without fan, people unable to store food in refrigerators, children not getting the necessary stimulation from TV and computer programmes for intellectual development. I am not forgetting the gadgets that are being destroyed for the past five years. The last major one was the blowing-up of a Radio Builsa transformer? Must you take away our small happiness from radio entertainment too? How am I to explain to my nephews and nieces that places with electricity from generators are not sites for excursion but rather an alternative source of electricity?
There are many areas being affected by this erratic and unreliable pattern of electricity supply within the Builsaland by you. Sum all these, that’s how the VRA/NEDCO is killing Builsas slowly and dipping us into the rivers of abject poverty. You are a major contributor of poverty and retrogression in the Builsaland.
This is just a reminder to the work of VRA/NEDCO that Builsas are not happy with the services being provided and if you are unaware of your actions, you should read over the above effects of your inability to fix the 5-year problem once and for all. We may appreciate that something was being done about it 5 years ago but the Builsaman does not understand why it is still so. From a layman’s understanding either the technicians tasked to fix the problem are incompetent or operational materials sent to the Sandema Sub-Station are inferior.
It’s almost as if the power in Sandema and its sister towns is linked to wind in an opposite reaction so that if its windy or about to rain then the power has to go off. You want to make us feel its normal but we know electricity can be accessed even with wind and storms.
Builsas are a peaceful and tolerant people but when we vent our anger, the recipient won’t have it easy. We have given you (VRA/NEDCO) a long rope to pull and you are eventually coming to the end of it. We might not write to you again as a favour but please get the electricity fixed because BUILSAS DESERVE BETTER.
It is about time you (VRA/NEDCO) sit up and provide the people with the best of supply of electricity.
Do not mistaken the people’s deliberate lack of sight on the issue for permanent blindness. Thank you.
Concerned Builsa,
Dominic Achinkok.
BULUK DESERVES BETTER, ZURUGALUU LAM KAN BE, NAN DUM YENG KAN TIAK BOGTA, BULUK MUST RISE UP!
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