12.8 million road network at Komenda, a ghost of jealousy

“Next year is the year we will adopt as the year of roads” a very mouthwatering and salivating statement for people especially in the Komenda district who heard this particular statement from the first man of the land, His Excellency, Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo–Adddo.

Interestingly, President Akufo-Addo said it is this same issue he questioned the then government about and was told he might have been sleeping if he was not seeing the roads, asking “where are the so-called unprecedented infrastructure projects,” and that it could not have been true.

Today, residents of Komenda, one of the districts in the Komenda Edina Eguafo Municipality are asking same question.

“Today the cry everywhere in Ghana is about the poor state of our roads. It is an unprecedented cry and it makes you wonder where all the roads in the NDC’s Green Book are,”… “Mr. Speaker, this is why we are going to focus more on fixing our roads across the country in 2020 and beyond. To get the road sector moving and contractors back to work, government will pay 80% of all contractors,”

These were the exact words of the honorable Ken Ofori Atta as he presented the 2020 budget to parliament on Wednesday, November 13, 2019.

Looking at these quotes above, one wonders is there any difference at all between politicians in Ghana? Or at best we want to accept that perhaps politicians must be referred to as “politiricksters” just as famous and outspoken, Blakk Rasta put it.

The situation at Komenda is nothing good to write home about. The road network is highly poor with lots of potbellied size holes ready to open its yawning mouth to swallow the tire of every car that plies that particular route commencing from the entrance of Komenda Junction as it moves into the main township.

Though two years ago, a huge promise was made to the effect that about 12.8 million Ghana cedis had been allocated to take care of the road network in the Komenda township, that money seems to either remain in the bank, or still on the paper, without having the strength to move into the pockets of some contractor who has failed to make things show.

Danny, a popular taxi driver who plies that route spoke of a situation where he enlightened my curious ears that in 2013, a letter was even written to the then Member of Parliament for KEEA, Honorable Ato Arthur, however, that letter which was also published online on February 22, 2013 seemed not to have reached Hon. Ato Arthur hence they removed him from office in the 2020 elections.

However, what surprises me is that” Chief” as he straightened his side mirror just to show me how brownish the road had become with swimming pool causative agents especially when it rains heavily on the road. The reddish nature of the untarred road that had not tasted development looked like a virgin locked at a monastery or Mission house.

He said “Chief, you are a big man. I know that when people like you talk, the government would listen. When it rains, the whole place becomes unmotorable and this really causes great harm to our cars.

Sometimes when we are unable to meet our targets, our bosses don’t understand us” speaking in Fanti. I sat in the car quietly, enjoying the dusty breeze, which could have smitten my lungs and caused a trigger if I were an asthma patient.

One other intriguing question that run through my mind was perhaps various governments don’t really care about the electorates and their plights because they hardly stay and work there. Cogitating about this, he quickly sounded my thoughts; “boss, don’t you believe that these people (the politicians) do not care about the state of our roads because they are not staying with us and don’t even come here often?” he quizzed me in Fanti.

Obviously, I could not say a word because I am not a resident there. I just came on an observation expedition and my laptop just spoke with my mind.

However, this is not the first-time politicians have made such a showy display of promises but have failed to do any honoring.

However, one question that still lingers on my mind is whether the 12.8 million Ghana Cedis still exists. To cap it all these set of questions are now popping up, leaving more room for more questions and writing and investigations perhaps from authorities to provide answers to what has happened to the 12.8 million Ghana cedis for the Komenda road, a road year marked even before the year of roads was officially announced.