Atta Akyea, Yusif Jajah ‘fight’ over flushing toilets in Nima

An attempt by the government to upgrade the slum areas in Nima into good residential status with flushing toilet facilities have caused a stir in Parliament.

This follows a briefing by the Minister for Works and Housing, Hon. Samuel Atta Akyea, informing the august House that plans are in place to uplift the slum communities into a modernized suburb.

However, the Member of Parliament for the area (Ayawaso North), Hon. Yusif Jajah, was visibly opposed to the comments made by the Minister who described the densely populated community as not having sufficient and modernized housing with flushing toilet facilities.

Hon. Jajah, who appeared puzzled by the Minister’s comments sought to rather project Nima in a positive manner, stressing that majority of households in Nima have flushing toilet facilities.

“I am not happy with the comments made by Hon. Atta Akyea, Minister for Works and Housing. His comment is an insult to the good people of Nima. For the records, the people of Nima or most of the people in Nima have flushing toilet facilities. Let me also mention to you that even public toilets in Nima also have flushing facilities. Lastly, the President of the Republic made a comment last week that he is so proud to be living in Nima. So, is Atta Akyea telling us that the President living in Nima also does not have a flushing toilet? That me staying in that community are you also telling me that I don’t have a flushing toilet facility. This is an insult on the people of Nima community and we demand an apology from him – we cannot accept this”, he told journalists on the sidelines of parliamentary sitting, Wednesday.

Hon. Atta Akyea had told the House government will not dislodge the people of Nima in its upgrading plans but to create a world class residential apartments for them.

“So, you see a slum which is being converted into a decent area and you could see the vilagio types on the left. So, we will not dislodge them. But the decency of what we are about to do is called slum upgrading. We will give them all the facilities that you can find in East Legon House. That if you enter an East Legon house you will not find the kind of situation that the Nima people find themselves. After all, the president created Ministry of Inner City and Zongo Development for this purpose and it is starting from Nima. We will give Nima a facelift that all the decency you find in Accra or any good residential area – they should have it”.

When quizzed about the reaction of Mr. Jajah to his comments, Hon. Atta Akyea who is the MP for Abuakwa South said “I’m afraid his sense of development is robbed and I owe him no apology. If he doesn’t want Nima to have the facility in East Legon, then he hates Ghana and it is pathetic. Of course, the Nima is not Akufo-Addo’s house properly so called. I’m referring to those people who are not having a good place of abode in those areas. He used it as an example and it doesn’t mean that the facility in the President’s house is equal to those in Nima properly so called. So, he shouldn’t confuse his situation. Has he been there? My father’s place is close to Nima and I used to go to Nima a lot. He should go and check – what toilet facilities are in Nima? I owe him no apology and if he wants Nima to be in filth, he should go and tell them so. But Akufo-Addo’s presidency wants to upgrade Nima and make it a very modern place for people to enjoy”.