Special topics
Freddie Blay, the Board Chairman of the Ghana National
Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) says he has stopped his attempt to offer PetroSA
an equal split in the interest held by GNPC’s subsidiary, Jubilee Oil Holdings
Ltd.
He said this is as a result of a directive given by
the Energy Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku-Prempeh.
“As I talk to you now, I have ceased and I
have desisted in accordance and with directives of my supervising minister,”
he said in an interview with JoyNews on Saturday, May 26.
Freddie Blay has also denied any allegations in
offering interest in Ghana’s oil fields to a South African oil company.
The Former NPP Chairman also had the view that he
exercised good judgment therefore, he did not see reason for demands of resignation.
“Possibly, I could be fired, but I don’t
see any reason why they are saying I should resign about this issue. I have
done nothing wrong.
“I have observed my conscience and I
thought I was protecting the interest of the country, and I am convinced about
it and if others think otherwise, and if those who appointed me are saying
otherwise, then so be it,” he said in an interview with Citi FM on Tuesday, May
23
29 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have demanded
the removal of Mr. Blay and the GNPC CEO with regards to the allegations
leveled against them.
The CSOs, made up of the Africa Centre for Energy
Policy (ACEP), Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), the Chamber of
Petroleum Consumers Ghana (COPEC) and 26 others, say the two men have “become
a threat to Ghana’s interest in the petroleum sector.”
The CSOs argue that a country being micromanaged by
the IMF cannot be seen to be engaging in fiscal recklessness. They say that the
government’s failure to provide transparency on these issues is a sign of bad
faith and a lack of accountability.
The government has not yet responded to the CSOs’
demands.
Tagged CDD-Ghana, COPEC, Freddie Blay, GNPC, PetroSA
