June 3 disaster report: Govt not jittery over its release – Kwakye Ofosu

Government has stated clearly that the June 3 Fire and Flood Disaster Report is not a classified document.

According to Deputy Minister of Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu in as much government is not hiding the document from the public, he’s not in a position to state whether it will be published.

There have been several calls on the government to make the report public one year after the disaster that happened at the Goil Filling Station at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra in 2015.

Ghana was thrown into a state of mourning after a tragic flood and fire disaster which claimed the lives of over 154 people following an explosion on that eventful Wednesday.

The Goil Filling Station at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra became the site of a cruel catastrophe after a gas explosion left charred remains of persons who had sought refuge from the floods in the area.

A committee set up by government to investigate the incident accused one Seth Kwesi Ofosu of causing the fire.

The committee believes a lit cigarette smoked by Mr Ofosu caused the fire. The committee was not clear whether the action by the suspect was deliberate.

He was said to be smoking during the rainstorm but failed to completely put out the cigarrete and when the naked fire got in contact with the rain water mixed with leaked fuel from the Goil station disaster struck.

But a year after the gory incident, government has held the report close to its chest and appears not ready to make it public anytime soon. Only snippets of the reports is in the public domain.

However speaking on Joy FM’s News File show on Saturday, Felix Kwakye Ofosu insisted there’s no hesitation on the part of government in releasing the report.

I’m not sure that report is classified but I will find out what the status is. I cannot sit here and give any assurances if it will be published, it does not allow in my mouth to do so. I don’t think there is a certain difference or if you like jittering on the part of government to release it. I agree that for purposes of public information it is necessary to put that kind of information out, but is that the panacea to the problems were are discussing? I don’t think it is.”