PARLIAMENT on Wednesday observed a minute’s silence and also suspended sitting in memory of the victims of the Accra Sports Stadium stampede on Wednesday, in which more than 126 soccer fans were killed.
The leadership of the House, after about 25 minutes of sitting, abandoned the day’s deliberations to enable some members, led by the Speaker, Mr Peter Ala Adjetey, to visit the Ridge, 37 Military and Police hospitals, all in the national capital, to wish the injured speedy recovery as well as console the families of the dead who had massed up at the hospitals in an effort to identify and take the body of their relatives away for burial.
Before the House suspended sitting, the Deputy Majority Leader, Papa Owusu Ankomah, made an urgent statement in which he appealed to Ghanaians to unite as one people in the face of the huge soccer tragedy which has hit the nation.
He said last Wednesday will go down as one of the darkest days in football in the world in which at least more than 120 soccer fans lost their lives in Ghana during a stampede.
Papa Owusu Ankomah, who is also the MP for Sekondi, on behalf of the House, extended members’ condolences to the bereaved families.
He said never could any Ghanaian imagine that such a tragedy of immense proportion would occur in Ghana.
The Deputy Majority Leader said it was most unfortunate that after the managements of the two glamorous football clubs had taken steps to control violence, the country should within minutes, lose more than 120 precious lives.
He said the President was highly concerned with the record number of Ghanaians who lost their lives as a result of the violence at the Accra Stadium.
Papa Owusu Ankomah, therefore, assured the House that members will be briefed fully on the disaster after a commission of enquiry had investigated the circumstances which culminated in the incident.
‘Mr Speaker, let me assure the nation that never again will such a horrible tragedy occur in the country,” he said.
He thanked all Ghanaians, particularly the paramedical staff, doctors, commercial drivers and other members of the public who sacrificed in diverse ways to save the lives of the injured.
On behalf of the House, let me extend the condolences of members to the bereaved families and to assure them that the government will do everything to get to the bottom of the matter,’’ he stressed.
The NDC Spokesman on Youth and Sports, Mr Enoch Teye Mensah, supported the statement by the Majority leadership.
He said “this is not the time to apportion blames for the tragedy but we think the security men did not act professionally.”
Mr Mensah, who was the Youth and Sports Minister in the last government, expressed the hope that such a huge national calamity will not re-occur in the nation’s sporting activities.
As soon as Mr Mensah had finished speaking, the Speaker, Mr Peter Ala Adjetey, announced, “In view of the tragedy which has hit the country, the sitting for the day is abandoned and members are moving to the hospitals to wish the injured speedy recovery and to console the relatives of the dead.”
At the Ridge Hospital, the Speaker and his entourage, after visiting the victims and wishing them speedy recovery, thanked the hardworking staff for working around the clock in the most difficult time, to save the lives of those who were injured.
Earlier, Dr Sakyi Obuobi, who was on duty on Wednesday night, had briefed the Speaker on the situation on the ground.
Dr Eric Asamoah, acting Medical Administrator of the hospital, thanked the Speaker and his delegation for the moral support and the recognition the House has given to the effort of the staff to save the lives of the victims.
Also at the Ridge Hospital were the Okyenhene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin , and Maulvi Wahab Adam, Ameer of the Ahmaddiyya Movement in Ghana, both of whom went round the wards to wish the victims speedy recovery.
The two eminent persons also visited some of the victims at the 37 Military Hospital.
At the 37 Military Hospital, the Speaker described the incident as a national tragedy of indescribable proportion, saying “it has been happening in other countries and we did not think it will ever happen here.”
He said Parliament was very concerned about the tragedy and therefore “we did not think the day was ripe for business.”
It was for this reason, he said, that the leadership decided to visit the hospitals to see the conditions of the injured and to express sympathy to the bereaved families who had massed up at the hospitals since the tragedy happened.
“Parliament is united in expressing sorrow on the tragedy and it is our hope that this will never happen again,” he said,
The Speaker also praised the staff of the hospital for the wonderful work they had done around the clock in bringing solace and relief to those who survived.
Welcoming the delegation, Brigadier Dan Twum, Director of Medical Services, on behalf of the staff, expressed appreciation to the House for stopping proceedings to show support to the hospital less than 24 hours after the tragedy.
Brig. Twum said initially, it was a problem controlling the behaviour of the relatives of the dead but the situation was gradually getting back to normal.
He said it was a horrifying scene on Wednesday night as the dead were placed in the car park.
He disclosed that the hospital has started providing emergency counselling service, to the bereaved families.
Brig Twum admitted that the tragedy had shaken the hospital because the country has never experienced an incident of such magnitude.
“Honourable Speaker, this time round, we have recorded more deaths. The figure is two deaths to one injury,” he said.
He said the immediate problem is how to look after the injured but “for the dead, we will carry out post-mortem, embalm them and await instructions from the government,”
Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, who was a member of the delegation, wanted to know what would happen to the bodies of Muslims, since they have a particular way of burying the dead.
A four-member delegation from the Christian Council of Ghana, made up of the Chairman, Rt Rev Akrofi, Anglican Bishop of Accra; Most Rev Dr Samuel Asante-Antwi, Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church; Rev Dr Sam Prempeh, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church and Dr Aboagye Mensah, General Secretary of the Christian Council, which also called at the hospital, prayed together with the Parliamentary delegation and the military command of the hospital for the speedy recovery of the injured and to commit the souls of the dead into the hands of the Almighty God.
The delegation later disclosed that it was there to show concern, assess the situation and to know from the authorities, the kind of material assistance they would need to bring relief to the suffering.
“We have come here to offer comfort to those who need comfort’’, Dr Aboagye Mensah said.
However, just when the Speaker and his entourage had finished visiting the wards, a young woman from Nima, Sakina Suka Braimah, who claimed to have lost five brothers and two cousins accosted the delegation at the entrance to the male ward and using her left finger to stress her point, told the Speaker, in a rather very uncompromising mood, that “the bereaved families are waiting to see a clean investigation into the tragedy and that we will not tolerate any attempt to cover any police officer involved in the incident’’.
Though the Deputy Majority Leader, Papa Owusu Ankomah, assured the woman that nothing would be swept under the carpet, Sakina would not bulge and instead, she and a section of the crowd mobbed the former Sports Minister, Mr E.T. Mensah, showered praises on him, chanting, “ehedzo bodoo’’, slogan of the NDC.
In the circumstance, the Speaker and the delegation had to cut short the visit to the other wards and leave for the Police Hospital.
