A scholarship scheme for children of the deceased victims, donation of an ambulance for use at the Stadium Clinic, replacement of destroyed seats at the North stand and its commissioning as the May 9 stand are some of the highlights of the first anniversary of the Accra Sports Stadium disaster.
The tragedy, which will be remembered today with an inter-faith service at the Accra Sports Stadium, will also be immortalised through a memorial engraved with the names of the deceased victims of the tragedy, at the entrance to the Stadium.
Disclosing this to The Accra Daily Mail in an interview yesterday, Ferdinand Ayim, Special Assistant to the Minister of Information and Presidential Affairs declared, "without inhibition or any fear of contradiction that the balance sheet for the government, one year after the tragedy is enough to conclude that the challenges posed have been squarely met".
Exactly a year ago, a league match between Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko ended on a tragic note with the eventual count of 127 dead, the result of a stampede created by the indiscriminate firing of tear-gas into the North stand by the Police.
A total of 277 persons were treated and discharged at the 37, Ridge and Police hospitals, while 95 were admitted for treatment.
The tragedy, the worst of its kind in the nation's history became a huge challenge to the five-month old Kufuor government.
President J.A. Kufuor, who rushed to the hospitals to visit the injured and witness the extent of the tragedy could not help but exclaim, "Oh my God!" when he was confronted by the scores of dead bodies lined up at the 37 Military Hospital.
Within 48 hours, the President was on air, in a live radio and TV broadcast during which he announced the establishment of a presidential commission to probe the tragedy.
The report of the Commission, which sat for six weeks, blamed among others, the former Sports Minister, E.T. Mensah and his constant interference in the affairs of the National Sports Council, for the tragedy.
"Significantly, the former Minister issued variations on the construction of the North stand of the Accra Sports Stadium to the consultant. He decided on the provision of offices on the mezzanine floor, which necessitated walls, not in the original design being constructed by the stairway, thus creating the hazard of an appreciable gap on either side of the stairs. It is through these gaps that some of the victims fell to their death," stated the report.
The Commission also recommended the prosecution of six senior police officers, who, it concluded, bore primary responsibility for the disaster. The dockets of the indicted officers are currently being prepared at the Attorney Generals Department.
One of the most remarkable outcomes of the disaster has been the scholarship scheme instituted for about 130 children of deceased victims. The Stadium Disaster Fund, which was launched by the Government after the disaster, is said to have yielded about ?2.8 billion and will be used to service the scheme.
"The management of the disaster has been eloquent testimony to the government's high sense of its social responsibility," said Ayim.
"The government has not only under-written the total cost of medical care for both the injured and the dead, but has given the family of each of the 127 persons who died, ?2.5 million to assist with burial and funeral. And now the scholarship scheme."
He explained that based on the recommendations of the Stadium Disaster Relief Fund Management Committee, a Board of Trustees is to be set up to administer the Disaster Relief Fund, which will manage the scholarship Scheme.
The model for the scheme, which will see the 130 children through their education from nursery to tertiary level is the "Support for Bright but Needy Children", a Ghana Education Service educational support scheme.
On the survivors, one-off payment of ?5 million is to be paid to those who were hospitalized for one week.
Mr. Ayim said the donors would be publicly acknowledged at an "Evening with donors" at which certificates of appreciation would be presented to them.
Meanwhile, the inter faith service this morning, will include the reading of tributes and laying of wreaths.
