Chiefs bemoan spate of road accidents

Kongo (UE), Jan. 6, GNA - The chiefs and people of Kongo and Nangodi in the Talensi-Nadam District of the Upper East Region, have bemoaned the spate of road accidents in the area which they said has lead to loss of lives.

This was made known in a statement signed by the Chief of Kongo Sapaat Naab David Bilea Namalteng, Chairperson of the Nangodi Local Civic Coalition (LCC), Madam Lardi Bukari and the former Assemblyman for the Area, and issued at a Press briefing in Kongo on Tuesday. The LCC formed in some districts in the region is working under the auspices of Grass Roots Africa, a Non-Governmental Organization working to promote human rights, social and economic empowerment. The statement emphasized that a lot of people in the area especially those who were bread-winners of families, had lost their lives leaving their family members to suffer.

It cited a recent accident in the area, which led to the untimely death of the acting Headmaster of Kongo Senior High School (SHS). His death led to the students and some community members taking the law into their own hands to cause public disturbance. The statement attributed the high incidence of road accidents to reckless driving, over-speeding and disregard for road signs among others. It stressed that the chiefs and people had written several letters to the regional office of the Ghana Highway Authority complaining about the situation, but that had fallen on deaf ears. According to the statement, the Ghana Highway Authority had explained that they could not mount speed rumps on the roads because they were highways which do not require speed rumps. The statement also indicated that several appeals had been made to the Member of Parliament (MP) of the area, and the District Chief Executive (DCE) to intervene but nothing had been done so far. It therefore appealed to the Ghana Highways Authority, the MP, the DCE and all stakeholders to come together to strategize to find a lasting solution to the problem.

The Capacity Building Officer of Grass Roots Africa, Mr James Awuni, described the situation as pathetic and said his outfit would collaborate with the appropriate stakeholders to ensure that the menace of road accidents was reduced. The Grass Roots Africa also assisted the chiefs and people through the media to express their dissatisfaction and to draw the attention of the relevant authorities.