Old Fadama demolition: Government has been unfair to us - Affected residents

At night, they line up their mattresses under tents to catch some sleep and during the day, the same tent shelters them from the harsh rays of the sun.

These tents were given to them by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly after the places they called home were demolished earlier this week.

Residents of Old Fadama are still in a state of confusion, after the wooden structures that served as their homes were demolished on Wednesday 15th April 2020 to make way for the dredging of the Korle Lagoon.

The residents describe the decision to take away their shelters at a time the country is battling the dreaded Coronavirus as insensitive.

Even though they don’t have a problem with being rendered homeless since they didn’t plan on making the place their permanent homes, the residents believe this isn’t the right time for it.

“The authorities are insensitive about what they did because we’re not saying that they shouldn’t desilt the gutter but they should do it at the right and even if this is the right time they should have found ways and means to do it in such a way that nobody will be affected,” one resident told GhanaWeb during our visit to the place.

At the time of our visit, some young men were busy building new structures while others were gathered under the tents having discussions. Some women and children were also seen around engaged in various activities.

Another resident noted that the demolition exercise defeats government’s social distancing order as they have no option now than to always gather together under tents.

“There’s no place for us to sleep now and they are saying because of COVID-19 we shouldn’t gather at one place. At first everyone was inside their rooms but now we are gathering because there’s no place for us. What they have done to us is not good,” he said.

They said because of the three-week lockdown, they don’t have run out of money since they can’t work, yet none of the supports government announced for the vulnerable including food distribution have gotten to them.

“I haven’t seen anything. No one is supporting us here at Old Fadama and it is very difficult for us. Government should please support us because leaving on the streets doesn’t make us bad people,” one victim said.

The residents say it is hypocritical for politicians to come to them asking for votes with huge promises only to abandon and victimize them upon winning power.

The Accra Mayor, Mohammed Adjei Sowah, on Thursday, April 16, 2020, debunked media reports that his outfit spearheaded the demolition exercise.

According to him, the leadership of Old Fadama aka Sodom and Gomorrah voluntarily removed the wooden structures they had mounted as homes to pave way for contractors to dredge the Korle lagoon.

“It is not AMA that had gone there to demolish the structures. It is the community leadership that engaged their people who voluntarily removed their structures," the Accra mayor told Paul Adom-Otchere on Good Evening Ghana on Thursday.

The Sanitation Ministry in a press statement has also denied giving the order for the demolition.