Former president, John Dramani Mahama, has admitted to being unhappy Ghanaians branded him with the nickname “Mr Dumsor” also known as ‘Mr Power Cut’.
During the tenure of John Mahama under the National Democratic Congress, the nation was plunged into a peak power crisis that lasted years for almost three years. Reacting to the nickname for the first time in an interview with Uganda-based NBS Television, the former president described it as ‘unfair’ on the part of Ghanaians to brand him as such. “Yeah it was!,” he admitted.
“What you are referring to is the actual energy crisis Ghana went through, the actual cause of the energy crisis was the lack of investment over the years by previous governments in generation. Ghana’s consumption in terms of electricity consumption had been rising about 12% per annum,” he said this when explaining the reasons for the power crisis at the time.
Meanwhile, other reputable outlets such as the BBC had earlier referenced John Mahama’s second bid to contest in the 2016 general elections with a headline; “Ghana election: Can ‘Mr Power Cut’ John Mahama win a second term?” The persistent power crisis also known as ‘Dumsor’ which was unbearable, unpredictable and tough for many citizens at the time quickly became a household name in the country.
The situation culminated in the collapse of many businesses and livelihoods in the country.