The Minister for Women and Children's Affairs, Hon. Mrs. Gladys Asmah, has given an ultimatum to all traders who have acquired stores and stalls at the ultra modern market at Apramdo, a suburb of Takoradi, to move in immediately or risk losing it to those who are interested.
She warned that her outfit would not entertain any complaint that would be brought before it by aggrieved people whose stores may be taken away from them by the metropolitan assembly for failing to occupy it.
Addressing a crowded a news conference in Takoradi on Monday, Mrs. Asmah said she has been compelled to take what appears to be a hard stand on the issue because of the way she is being accused that she was the one who deceived the market women not to go and occupy the Apramdo market.
According to the minister, who was flanked by the deputy regional minister, Ms. Honer-Sam, it is true that she and some leading members of the then opposition NPP did lead a demonstration of market women to protest against the way and manner they were being forced to go and occupy the market but that was done on sound basis.
She explained that at the time she led the said demonstration, the current structures at the market were not there and besides this, the place too was waterlog.
She therefore felt that forcing the women to go and occupy the erected wooden structures at such a waterlog place by Col. Kaku Korsah's administration was inhumane treatment.
Mrs. Gladys Asmah further told the press that after the said demonstration and the subsequent publications in the newspapers, she heard the then President Rawlings came down to Takoradi himself to inspect the place and after satisfying himself that the market women had genuine case, he instructed Korsah's administration to construct a modern market at the place which the assembly did.
She said in August 2001 after the NPP had taken over the reign of the country, she personally went and opened the new market in a grand style after the metropolitan assembly led by Philip Kwesi Nkrumah had made available basic amenities at the place to make the market women feel comfortable.
She therefore did not understand the reason why the market women have still refused to go and occupy their stores and stalls after the assembly had met their request for basic amenities like toilet, electricity etc that they were demanding before moving to the market.
Asmah also told the press that her personal investigations have revealed that some unscrupulous people in the metropolis using what she described as ghost names did acquire more than six stores yet they have refused to go and occupy them.
She continued that investigations were still going on and anyone caught to have done that would have some of the stores taken away from him and re-allocated to those who are on the waiting list.
The minister also accused both the GPRTU and the Progressive Transport Owners Association (PROTOA) of contributing to the problems that have bedeviled the market.
She said the two are fighting over who should operate at the market and this is making it impossible for traders to get cars to and from the market which is located along the Takoradi-Abidjan main road to other suburbs in the metropolis.
Ms. Honer-Sam on her part said some people whom she did not name have been playing politics with the occupation of the market.
The said people shecontinued have been advising the women not to go and occupy the market, which has indeed suffered from politics for the NPP administration to take the credit of it.
She reminded the people that the Apramdo market was not built with NPP's money but with resources from the state therefore their action is only going against the state but not NPP as a party.
