. He denies Kwahu-Fodoa fire victims attention.
1. A
schoolchild in Volta Region collapsed during rehearsals for the 2012 independence
anniversary celebration in Ho during late President Ata Mills’s era. Of course,
it was sad and it became a national issue. Mills ordered, and the STATE helped
and supported the family financially and materially in the burial ceremonies
including juicy compensation package. That is ok.
2. However,
during the 2012 nationwide Biometric Voters Registration exercise soon after
the tragic Ho incident, a young child walking his somewhere and with nothing to
do with BIOMETRICISM was innocently and by mistake gunned down unprovoked by an
NDC goons in Kokoben in Ashanti region in some unexplained circumstances
associated with the Biometricism. This was very sad.
3. President
Mills and his NDC as insensitive as ever, never extended the same concern
showed the family of the pupil who collapsed in Volta Region; to the family of
the Asante Kokoben child during the burial ceremonies. It never occurred to
President Mills to order state-support to the burial. The Kokoben family was
abandoned and forgotten. The Kokoben family was let alone to bury their dead
without compensation. Mills failed the test fully and completely.
4. Still in 2012, violence broke out between the
indigenes of Gbi and the Zongo community over the exhumation of the corpse of
Chief Iman of Hohoe-Zongo from the local cemetery and dumped at the outskirts
of Hohoe. This provoked communal violence and the palace of Togbe Gabusu, the Chief
of the Gbi Traditional Area was vandalized and destroyed in the unfortunate
wild circumstances by the angry youth involved. NADMO and other national bodies
were deeply involved in bringing relief to victims of the clashes. The
government promised to rebuild the palace of Togbe Gabusu. Reports are all over
the place to the effect that the Mahama/NDC has made do their promise and that
the reconstruction of the palace, which is to be financed by the taxpayer, has started.
It’s good that Mahama should display that degree of compassion and sensitivity
to bail out the people from such unfortunate force majeure.
5. The story continues. Against all this backdrop of happenings, I am
flabbergasted by the casual response of the NDC government to the last Tuesday’s
unfortunate happening at Kwahu –Fodua in the Eastern Region where there was a
gas explosion after a gas tanker veered off the main Accra-kumasi Highway and
run into a church building. Reports of the resulting damage are grim and
depressing. One observer has remarked he cannot fathom how such a degree of
damage and destruction can happen to fellow human beings. The story continues
that the accident happened in an area
dominated by Muslims, and that many houses were burnt down and the chief
Imam for the area allowed victims to pass the night in the mosque, while help
is sought from the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO. The story
continues that, in the interim, the MP noted that the two assemblies involved, together
with the MPs in the area put together few relief items such as mats, cups,
buckets, mosquito repellents, bowls, and other items to ameliorate the plight
of the victims. JoyNews’ Eastern Regional Correspondent, Kofi Siaw reported
that several houses have been razed to the ground leaving most of the people
homeless. Additionally, some affected people are putting up with friends,
whilst food crops were also not spared the ravages of the fire disaster.
6. Trust the insensitive NDC/Mahama when Ashanti/Eastern Regions are
involved. They don’t care. They don’t mind. This is one case of a national disaster
which should command urgent Presidential attention. The Eastern Regional
Minister even has not bothered to visit the area at the time of writing to console
victims to share in their grief. Relevant Ministers, Fire Service Hqs, National
Security and the authorities who matter are busy just drinking tea and
creating, looting and sharing taxpayers’ monies without any recourse to their
conscience leaving the poor victims in Kwahu- Fodoa to their fate in this tragic
calamity.
7. It is obvious that the Mahama/NDC governments have been exposed as
consciously acting bigotish and discriminatory. They just enjoy seeing Eastern/Ashanti
Regions citizens suffer and die. I can’t imagine such a tragic episode should
happen in a town in Volta Region and the government would act so casual,
carefree and be so insensitive and deny the victims simple consolation and
care. What at all have the peoples of Eastern/Ashanti done to deserve this? The
neglect of Nsawam-Apedwa Road which is Ghana’s busiest road which attracts more
than 15,000 cars in a day is even criminal and an extension of NDC/Mahama diabolic
plans against Eastern/Ashanti regions.
8. The questions are; will the victims at Kwahu-Fodoa ever get proper
attention and help in their moments of anguish in this force majeure? Will the
government rebuild
their houses or they are not Togbe Gabasu so they will be so denied? Will the state
support the burial of the dead in Kwahu-Fodoa or they are not a ‘Ho pupil’ so
they will be denied? Mahama will have to work harder to remove his
administration’s anti-Ashanti/Eastern Regions perception which has gained
grounds. It is not good for national development. Eyes are watching!
John Yawose
