President meets families of May 9 disaster

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo Monday assured the May 9 Foundation, a philanthropic organisation, of the Government's support for its public-spirited activities.

He gave that assurance when he met the families of some victims of the May 9, 2001 Stadium disaster at the Jubilee House Accra.

The group was led by the former Asante Kotoko Football Club Chairman, Herbert Mensah, founder of the May 9 Foundation.

The courtesy call on the President was part of activities to mark the 20th anniversary of the May 9, 2001 disaster.

On a fateful day, a stampede by fans of arch-rival football clubs Accra Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko during a crunch match led to the tragic death of over 127 spectators at the Accra Sports Stadium.

President Akufo-Addo said the government stood committed to offering the needed support to the Charity to enable it carry out its activities and campaign to ensure that the unfortunate incident did not reoccur.

“You will have the modest support that this administration will be able to give you. I can promise you that”.

Commiserating with the victims of the disaster, the President further reiterated the government's commitment, through the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and other relevant agencies to ensure that the disaster did repeat itself.

He commended the founding members of the Foundation for keeping alive the memory of the victims of the disaster and engaging in other philanthropic activities at ensuring that surviving family members of victims could look to the future with hope.

“I am happy that we have Ghanaians of your calibre who have made a decision about May 9th,” he said, intrigued to learn that the Foundation had since expanded its reach beyond football to embrace a wider social space involving dislocation of people by floods and other disasters.

“This is a huge undertaking and you need a lot of courage and capacity to be able to carry it out well,” he added.

On his part, Mr. Herbert Mensah reaffirmed the Foundation's goal to offer the needed support to families of those who fell on a fateful day.

Mr Mensah praised the President for being the first to grant audience to the victims of the disaster since the incident and expressed his gratitude for the support received over the years.

“In 20 years, it is gratifying to have a President who cares, "he said.