By Elsie Appiah-Osei
Accra, July 13, GNA- Mr John Jinapor, the Ranking Member on the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament, has urged the government to suspend plans of an alleged lease of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) to a private firm, Torentco Asset Management Group.
He, at a News Conference in Parliament on Thursday, called on the government for further stakeholder engagement to put a halt to the alleged lease agreement, engage further with stakeholders, and ensure that we find a long-lasting solution to the problems confronting TOR.
….” TOR will be leased to Torentco Asset Management Group for $22 million for six years and is expected to refine up to eight million barrels of fuel annually,” Mr Jinapor told Parliamentary Press Corps.
“Also in the deal, the group will pay $ one million as annual rent and an additional rent amount of over $1 million per month,” he added.
According to Mr Jinapor, also a National Democratic Congress Member of Parliament for Yapei-Kusawgu said the alleged deal in its current form would not inure to the benefit of Ghanaians.
“We believe that the contract is inimical, that contract will not inure to the benefit of Ghanaians. “That contract will not benefit the ordinary Ghanaian and that contract does not meet value for money,” he said.
Mr Jinapor said these firefighting approaches would not help the refinery as the refinery had seen five different managements under the government.
“It thus appears that they are playing with the refinery. It thus appears that there is no seriousness being shown when it comes to the revitalisation of the refinery,” he said.
GNA