Daring to survive: Former Police Officer lives with family in taxi

A former police officer Opayin Kofi Owusu, is struggling to survive as he has been living in his office, a taxi with his family of five for the past six months.

According to Opanyin Kofi Owusu, his stint in the Ghana Police Service was very short as he had to resign from his job due to an unknown ailment.

Opanyin now drives the same taxi that houses him, and his family and says he is financially handicapped to rent a house for his family since he used all his life savings to take foot the hospital bills of one of his children who underwent surgery some years back.

The taxi which is parked between a refuse dump and a public toilet in Kanashie at night is home to Opanyin Owusu and his wife as well as their two children and a grandchild.

Recounting his expereicnce with the ailment that cost him his job, Opanyin Owusu revealed he doesn’t know its cause but found it difficult seeing when he was attacked.

“I can’t really explain the illness, but I found it difficult seeing when it attacked me, I was mostly home. I had to drop my job due to this illness,” he said.

His wife, Beatrice Adamsd has been working for the Accra Metropolitan Assembly for the past 15 years but says she earns less than GH¢200 monthly.

She said life has been difficult for them as she hardly gets her monthly salary on time adding that she hasn’t been paid for the past 2 months.

That notwithstanding, Madam Owusu wakes up as early as 3:00am every day for work (cleaning the streets and gutters) while his husband begins work at 7:00am with his taxi.

Opanyin Owusu says life has been very difficult for him and his family as some unscrupulous youth in spite of his hardship still steal some of their belongings from them.

Opanyin Owusu is appealing to the Ghanaians for financial support to be able to give his family a better life.