I was just 10, when l witnessed for the first time; dead bodies on concrete floors at the mortuary of the 37 Military and Korle-Bu Teaching Hospitals. In all, 127 football fans of Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak died miserably after policemen on duty at the Accra Sports Stadium opened tear gas on rioting fans following a disallowed goal. Pandemonium broke out, precious lives were lost through compressive asphyxia. It became known as the MAY 9th Stadium Disaster, the worst ever stadium disaster to have happened on the African continent. A woman was reported to have lost five of her sons on that fateful day. That alone, sums up the tragedy that befell our dear nation in 2001. As usual, we made so much noise, promised reforms and declared ; never would such a stadium disaster happen. Yet, in 2009, a similar disaster nearly recycled, when same teams played at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium. This time, the death toll was 4, resulting from an overcrowded stadium packed with over 70,000 spectators instead of it's limit of 40,000. It was on that day that l came to the realisation, that l live in a country that never learns. We only cry and find solutions after disasters occur, once the disaster is gone, we forget the numerous solutions and reforms we talked about.
Tragically, over 200 lives have been lost in Accra, the nations capital. Some killed by the floods and others through a "Dumsor" induced fire incident that started from a fuel station and spread to surrounding buildings (going by media reports). Sad, horrendous and heartbreaking images of burnt human bodies have been shown to us all. Horrific among them, was that of a little baby reaching out to the mother's naked breast in the midst of the fire. Probably trying to have his last taste of the mother's milk before departing this rotten nation. The soul of that baby, that of the naked woman and the numerous others burnt alive in the inferno would never forgive Ghana and possibly reject any opportunity to be Ghanaians should they be granted a second life by their creator. We are shedding crocodile tears now, pretending to care and forgetting that, we are reaping what we sowed as a nation. I ask, is this the first ever floods to have hit Accra ? Have we not heard successive governments promising to clear buildings on waterpaths and end the indiscriminate dumping of rubbish ? Where are the dust bins promised? After quenching our thirst with the chilled sweating sachet water, where do we dump the sachet ? Don't we throw them from moving vehicles into the streets? Who authorise people to build along waterpaths? Are we not the very people building on waterpaths? How many times have we not witnessed river paths being filled with sand to make way for a new 'filling station' or building ? What did we do about it ? Are our chiefs, not selling waterpaths as land for building purposes? What names did we not call city authorities who stood their grounds and ordered the demolition of buildings and structures on waterpaths. They were labelled wicked, heartless and insensitive. Why do we construct drains and gutters and leave them uncovered along the very streets used by people ? In Accra, some gutters are five times the size of rivers in dessert countries.
Some few months before the 2012 general elections, diehard NDC supporters asked President Mahama to sack the Accra mayor Alfred Okoh Vanderpuije. Why ? It's simple, the man was demolishing houses on waterpaths, decongesting traders from the streets and other unauthorized places. To NDC faithfuls like Yaw Boateng Gyan (former national organiser) and the many others that demanded his removal, the actions of the mayor were likely to affect their chances in the general elections. Victims of his decongestion and demolishing exercise were likely to vote against them. Hence, in the name of winning elections, the 'abodwese' man was called to order by his boss. In the name of winning elections the right thing was not done. Okoh Vanderpuije became public enemy number one. We vilified, cursed and wished for his death. Similarly, in 2007, the NPP government acquired a court order to demolish the notorious slum Sodomy and Gommorrah- a major cause of the floods in Accra. The NDC, then in opposition spoke vehemently against the planned demolition to the extent of evoking tribal and ethnic sentiments just for political expediency. Afraid of losing the 2008 elections, the demolition was cancelled. Madam Patricia Appiagyei, current member of parliament for Asokwa and former Mayor of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly became public enemy number one, two and three when she ordered an unprecedented decongestion and demolition exercise of buildings, shops, containers and kiosks in the Kumasi Metropolis. Taxi and Trotro drivers who parked in the middle of roads were arrested and fined. They fumed and voted against the NPP in 2008 but she stood her grounds and did the right thing. Till date, some NPP faithfuls in Kumasi still blame her for the party's defeat in the 2012 elections. So, the question is; who are we to blame for the floods ? An irresponsible and undisciplined citizenry, dead state institutions, corrupt officials or weak politicians who lack the political will to champion national interest ahead of winning the next election ?
That we waited for people to die, properties destroyed and the entire nation thrown into mourning before demolishing fuel stations and buildings on supposed waterways sums up the wisdom of the nation and its leaders. We are a nation of hypocrites and talkers not doers. In all, it boils down to national leadership. State institutions are virtually dead not weak. Town planning officials and authorities who issue building permits represent the very definition of corruption. They enrich themselves at the expense of collective national interest. Painfully, ignorant citizens are allowed to build at unauthorised and unapproved places unknown to them. Only to suffer the heartache of seeing the buildings and properties; acquired through sweat and toil pulled down within a twinkle of an eye. But wait, don't we queue to elect for ourselves people to lead us ? Are ministers, town planning officials and state officials not paid to ensure that the right thing is done ? Must we wait for people to die before we act ?
What happened in Accra was no disaster. Contrary, it was the recurrence of a yearly Ghanaian disease that has become a ritual. A Ghanaian disease as old as Richard Olele Kingston. A national disease where our leaders only act after disasters occur and lives are lost. A national disease where we only talk about solutions after people have died. In Aswan Egypt, people pray for years and decades just to see the rain fall heavily. The place is so dry, that annual rainfall recorded is only 0.02 inches. In Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, Chile and Yemen, people go on hallelujah processions when it rains. Yet, in Ghana, people die miserably, properties destroyed and the entire nation thrown into mourning anytime it rains. Are we not ashamed as a people? The earthquake that happened in Haiti was a disaster, May 9th Stadium massacre was a disaster. However, the recent floods in Accra cannot be termed a disaster. It was a national disease that killed us because of our mismanagement, negligence, incompetence, actions and inactions.
Publications on ending the floods in Accra have been made by scholars. Engineers and planners have given us diverse ways to prevent future floods. The biggest question is; why haven't we implemented these measures ? Successive governments and city authorities have clearly shown no genuine concern and political will in addressing the yearly floods in Accra. We need effective leaders not politicians. Leaders defined by choices and decisions geared towards collective national interest not next elections, are needed. Knee jerk reactions to suddenly demolish buildings and fuel stations is not the solution to the yearly floods in Accra. If our institutions are weak, public officials
corrupt and citizens undisciplined, people would still be allowed to build at unapproved places after paying bribes. Citizens would still litter our gutters with rubbish and national leaders would still lack the political will and impetus to champion collective national interest ahead of winning the next elections. Similarly, moving the nations capital from Accra would not solve our problem. It's like changing the label of a poisonous container from poison to sugar. Though the label is changed, the content remains poison !!! We need to get rid of the actual content not the label. We need attitudinal change as a people not a change in national capital. From national leadership to the ordinary citizenry, we all have a role to play in ending this shameful madness of annual floods.
A nation calls for duty now !!!!
MICHAEL KWADWO NKETIAH
(kwadwonketia47@gmail.com)
