Former Energy Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has strongly refuted claims made by Bright Simons, Vice President of IMANI Africa, regarding his alleged role in issuing the 2020 unitisation directive between Springfield Exploration and Production Limited (Springfield) and Eni Ghana Exploration and Production Limited (ENI).
Simons, in a post on X (formerly Twitter)—which was also featured in a GhanaWeb publication on February 27, 2025—linked Dr. Prempeh to the directive, which the new government under Energy Minister John Jinapor has recently withdrawn.
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However, Dr. Prempeh has clarified that he only assumed office as Energy Minister on March 7, 2021, while the unitisation directive was issued in 2020—at a time when he was serving as Education Minister.
“A careful reading of even the withdrawal letter and recollection of historical facts could have saved Mr. Simons from this avoidable statement of error,” the statement read.
Dr. Prempeh insists that while public opinions on government decisions are welcome, they must be made with accuracy, circumspection, and decorum.
He has demanded a retraction and an apology from Bright Simons for what he describes as an untrue attribution.
Mr. Simons has since responded to the former Manhyia MP’s request for an apology.
See below:
Since some of you are asking:
*My response to Mr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, former Minister of Energy*
I have seen a statement from the former Energy Minister effectively washing his hands off the whole embarrassing spectacle that is the forced unitisation saga. His statement is…
— Bright Simons (@BBSimons) February 27, 2025
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