Group appeals to corporate bodies to assist displaced people

The Northern Development Forum (NDF), an advocacy group, has appealed to corporate bodies and the public to go to the aid of those affected by the recent demolition exercise and are still suffering.

A statement signed by Dr Hakeem Wemah, Chairman of NDF, and issued to the Ghana News Agency, on Wednesday, said the victims were in dire need of basic support such as transportation to relocate to their hometowns, temporary accommodation, food, water and medical attention.

It has, therefore, called for the provision of a Refugee Camp to accommodate the displaced persons, while they found ways and means to re-organise their lives.

“We are concerned that some of the people, particularly women, and children, who were displaced as a result of that exercise have been left at the mercy of severe weather conditions,” it said.

It has also called on the Government to look at the Old Fadama residents as Internally Displaced Persons, who have rights to shelter, food and security.

“They need to be treated as refugees from the civil wars in the north and other regions both within and outside Ghana,” it said.

The statement noted that the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) did not make prior arrangements to provide for the people by way of transportation for those who wanted to go to their hometowns and alternative temporary shelter.

“It must be made clear that we support any effort in keeping the city of Accra and for that matter any part of Ghana environmentally safe, clean and decent,” he said.

“The after- thought promise of making available accommodation for those who want to be relocated to other places such as Amasaman and AdjenKotoku, after the demolition exercise amounts to putting the cart before the horse; by this action which lacks human

feeling”.

The statement equally raised concern about the timing of the demolition, saying, “The demolition was carried out at a period when many of the people of the area who are Muslims are fasting and the children are writing their Basic Education Certificate Examination”.

The statement, however, appealed to the AMA and other institutions to fulfill their promises made to the victims and called for respect for all people, irrespective of their social standing.

“We hope that promises made by AMA and other state institutions to re-settle the victims would not be broken. It is not enough to send the victims to their home towns without financial and material support to mitigate their pain and loss,” it said.

NDF is an advocacy group that has the integral development of the three regions of northern Ghana.

On June 20, Thousands of slum dwellers who are mostly migrants from the northern part of the country were consequently rendered homeless, while scrap metals and make shift shops were also destroyed by the AMA.