Help rid Accra of lunatics before CAN 2008 - Ali Baba

Accra, Oct. 29, GNA - Mr. Ali Baba Abature, Public Relations Officer of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), on Monday appealed to the Ministry of Manpower, Youth and Employment and the Department of Social Welfare to help rid Accra of lunatics before the commencement of the 2008 African Cup of Nations.

"The AMA will do all that it can to put the city in order and it behoves other governmental agencies to complement its efforts," he said. In an interview with the GNA, Mr Abature said the AMA, during one of its decongestion exercises in 2005, was able to rehabilitate about 240 lunatics at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital, but due to financial constraints it could not continue with the programme. He said if the lunatics on the streets would be given the necessary attention, he believed some of them could recover and play useful roles in the society.

By January next year, the PRO said, the Assembly in partnership with the Department of Urban Roads would relocate the Neoplan Station to the Transport Terminal at Achimota and prepare it for vehicles which operated at Circle.

Mr Abature noted that the AMA in partnership with Accra Venue of the Organising Committee (AVOC) of the Local Organising Committee for CAN 2008 had identified some areas, which could serve as sleeping places for those who would not be able to afford to pay for hotel accommodation.

He said so far, the Assembly had identified Kawukudi Park, Trade Fair Centre Grounds and around the El Wak Sports Stadium to be used by such groups of fans.

Mr Abature said AMA, in conjunction with mobile networks such as Ghana Telecom and MTN, had embarked on a beautification exercise of all ceremonial roads and provision of litterbins at vantage points