Fix our roads or else… - Ada-Foah chiefs charge gov't

Chiefs and residents of neglected and rejected Ada-Foah in Dangme East District which is one of the strongholds of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Greater Accra region have lashed out at the Mahama administration over the poor state of roads in the area.

Consequently, the chiefs and people of Ada-Foah have served notice of their intention to stage protests against government to compel it to refurbish the deteriorating roads in the area.

The angry chiefs and people of Ada-Foah told Today that the road from Kasseh (Ada Junction) which links to Ada-Foah, and from Big Ada to Azizanya in Dangme East were in a very poor state, which require urgent rehabilitation.

They made this known to Today, after this reporter inspected the deplorable road network from Kasseh (Ada Junction) to Ada-Foah (20km), Sege to Mepe (15km) and Sege to Lolonya (22km).

The chiefs who preferred to speak on condition of anonymity disclosed to Today that the condition of feeder roads from Ada-Foah, Big Ada, Kasseh, Sege and Koluedor, which connect almost all the settlements, has become unmotorable after every rainy season.

They averred the untarred roads have developed potholes, posing grave danger to road users, whiles increasing the turnaround time.

According to them, considerable pressure on some of the feeder roads has made it necessary to upgrade them to second class roads, especially the road from Koluedor to Sege, which is very important for the transport of salt.

They also wanted the beach road from Ada-Foah to fishing areas of Elavanyo, Pute and Totope to be upgraded.

As a result of the bad state of the roads, the chiefs disclosed that business activities in some traditional areas were being affected.

They observed that the roads in the district had become death traps for motorists and passengers who plied them.

“Mahama government has neglected us for a very long time,” one of the chiefs yelled and described the roads of Ada-Foah, Big Ada, Kasseh, Sege and Koluedor as election bait, stating that President Mahama and his functionaries only speak about them during elections and forget about them afterwards.

They recounted that President Mahama at the annual Asafotufiam festival in August this year promised the chiefs and people of Ada-Foah that the NDC government would ensure that work begins on the 22-kilometre road from Kasae to Ada.

They said President Mahama conceded that the project has delayed but explained it was because of the ongoing Ada sea defence project.

“One of the major challenges to tourism in this area is the road leading from Kasseh to Ada but as I announced when I last visited Ada, the contractor on the project is already mobilising and is ready to commence work on the road,” President Mahama reportedly stated when he graced the occasion.

He added: “We had to delay work on the road for a very good decision that is because the sea defence project was still ongoing and the contractor had to move heavy boulders along the road to the sea side and we realised that if we went ahead with the road construction, the movement of those heavy boulders would destroy the road by the time it is completed. But now that they have finished with the movement the contractor is ready to start. The project is a full asphalt road and will cost 27 million cedis.”

But, according to the chiefs, government must expedite action on the projects, saying they have not seen any sign of work commencing any time soon.

They said they could no longer wait whiles the people in the area continue to travel on dangerous roads.

The chiefs, however, expressed their frustration about unfulfilled promises by the Mahama administration and indicated that they were getting fed up with the “failed and empty promises by President Mahama to fix our roads.”