Hot!News

Hacking of GRIDCo pylon is sabotage – MP

THE Member of Parliament for the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Constituency, George Mireku Duker, has observed that the hacking of one of the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) high voltage transmission pylons has semblance of international electric war aimed at sabotaging governments in recent times. 

This, he said, was worrying and must attract the attention of the government to arrest the situation before it festered. 

In a statement on the floor of Parliament in Accra on Friday, Mr Duker listed Venezuela, Russia and the United States of America as examples of countries where some dissidents have plunged a sizable number of citizens into darkness in an apparent move to sabotage those governments.

The pylon, pulled down on Monday, March 25, 2019 in the Tema enclave was part of the transmission chain that transmit power from Karpower, VRA and AKSA to the national grid resulting in power interruptions to parts of Greater Accra, Western and Ashanti Regions. 

The Energy Minister, John Peter Amewu, on a visit to the scene said it was the handiwork of saboteurs who were bent on making the government unpopular. 

A fortnight ago, a large swathe of Venezuela was plunged into darkness after “right-wing extremists” damaged the generator at the Guri Dam, according to that country’s Information Minister, Jorge Rodriguez.

In November 2015 the Russian government announced a state of emergency in the disputed Crimean Peninsula after power to the regions was suddenly cut. 

“Mr Speaker, these examples are enumerated to guide us to be informed of the trending calculated saboteurs who can practically cause mayhem in the power 

sector to infringe on the economic growth of our country,” he said. 

“Ghana could be a target if local perpetrators form a cartel with some of these [international] groups,” he envisaged. 

Condemning the unfortunate development, Mr Duker called on the security agencies to speed up their investigations for persons behind the hacking of the pylon to be brought to justice to serve as deterrent to others. 

“The general public especially those living in and around Tema, Dawhenya, Aflenya, Kpone, Ashaiman and Prampram must help to volunteer information on suspected individuals to the police to aid investigations.

“Mr Speaker, this unfortunate incident which is an attack on the nation must be a wakeup call to all of us on the urgent need to intensify protection of all our national assets,” he charged. 

To be able to ward off such organised crimes in an era of technological advancement, Mr George Mireku Duker said there was an urgent need for the country to invest in technology to protect and safeguard all strategic national installations that provide essential services. 

It should be possible, he said, for entities such as GRIDCo, the Volta River Authority (VRA), and the Ghana Water Company Limited, Ghana Gas, Power Distribution Services (PDS) and the Bulk Oil Storage, Transportation (BOST) to monitor all their assets “no matter their distance from a central location by the use of technology”.

“This, I believe will enhance early detection when saboteurs invade our national installations,” he said.


BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI   

Show More
Back to top button