Convener of Arise Ghana, Bernard Mornah, has revealed that efforts at alleviating the plight of persons who have suffered losses following the devastation caused by the Akosombo dam spillage has been infiltrated by partisanship.
According to him, it is an understatement for one to say that government is playing politics with the crisis. He insisted that government is being partisan in this particular instance because politics is about the general wellbeing of the society.
Mr Mornah further explained that partisanship has taken place because the President has made utterances of who votes and doesn’t vote for him despite the hardship being endured by the people.
“… In crisis of this nature the President is thinking about future votes and not thinking about ameliorating the debilitating conditions of our people, then it moved from being political to the realm of being extremely partisan and using partisanship to afflict more harm and pain on the suffering people of the Volta region.”
Bernard Mornah
Elaborating on the extent of crisis confronting affected communities, Mr Mornah stated that it is evident NADMO is “deeply in resource crisis”, as it doesn’t have the logistics and other support for the people of the affected areas.
He expressed that what the affected communities require to survive, less than 2% is provided by government, which includes NADMO and its operatives.
“Certainly, NADMO has been under-resourced for a very long time and this crisis has come to expose them even deeper. I understand why Seji will be finding it difficult to admit that we are beyond the state of emergency declaration…”
Bernard Mornah
Furthermore, Mr Mornah emphasized the need for government to declare a state of emergency. He noted that the conditions of people in the Volta region merits a state of emergency, describing it as “even long overdue”.
“The people are in difficulties, people can’t sleep in the night because where you have put them, they don’t have mosquito nets, people left their homes with nothing… In such circumstances, no one should come and tell you that you need to declare a state of emergency.
Bernard Mornah
Declaration of state of emergency
Moreover, Mr Mornah highlighted that in declaring a state of emergency, it brings international focus and attention on the country, given the fact that NADMO in particular is under-resourced.
He noted that by this, the government can use that to launch for international appeal to support and to assist the country to overcome the current difficulties it is facing.
Additionally, he highlighted that the failure of government to declare a state of emergency means that it “deliberately” undertook the spillage exercise. He equally indicated that government equally knew the volumes will “consume our people in the manner that it has done and that is why government is failing to declare a state of emergency”.
“Whatever it is, government is fully responsible for the calamity that has befallen the people of the Volta region. It’s government’s decision to spill and government went round to say they did stakeholder engagement. You are asking people who have had their permanent resident to evacuate and move to where? Have you made any alternative arrangement? Evidently, the government failed and is responsible for the calamity that our people are facing today…”
Bernard Mornah
Meanwhile, the Arise Ghana convener expressed disappointment in government’s reluctance to act on pleas by chiefs within the affected communities to relocate people to the Saglemi housing facilities. He revealed that Saglemi housing is over 90% complete in some of the areas and will even serve as “five-star hotels” for the people given the current condition of their living.
“They themselves have said that now that we have been swept away by the water, give us Saglemi housing so we can live there… you’re failing to do that and failing to declare a state of emergency, one would think that government is deliberately punishing the people for no crime of theirs – particularly when the President said that they have not been voting for him…
Bernard Mornah
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