The Member of Parliament for North Tongu Constituency, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has made known his intention to file a lawsuit against the government on behalf of the victims of the Akosombo Dam spillage.
According to him, efforts to secure the government’s assistance in providing new housing for the thousands displaced by the disaster have yielded no results.
Hon. Ablakwa indicated that the affected residents feel abandoned and rejected eight months after the disaster, insisting that they deserve compensation for their losses. “It is their right.”, he noted.
“To be very sincere with you, we have begun discussions with our lawyers. We’ve done everything we can do in Parliament. We have filed motions, we’ve made statements, we’ve filed urgent questions and we have engaged ministers. This is a clear case of government abdicating and engaging in cruel neglect. So we are considering a class action,”
Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
Furthermore, the North Tongu MP stated that taking legal action is the only way to compel the government to be responsible and responsive to the plight of the victims of the Akosombo Dam spillage. “It appears that that’s the only realistic option we have now”, he added.
He also noted that, with the help of some NGOs and benevolent Ghanaians, two resettlements, housing 600 people, were provided for some of the victims, revealing that a third housing project by the North Tongu MP and Partners initiative is underway.
However, the MP stated that there is not much he and his partners can do, emphasizing the need for the government to intervene as the aftershock of the disaster is vast.
Hon. Ablakwa pointed out that it is unfair for the government to fail in its duty to take care of the people who were victims of the disaster through no fault of theirs.
He added that he is yet to meet with the inter-ministerial committee set up to investigate the incident in the communities, adding that his request for an invite to the committee hearing did not receive a response.
Budget For Spillage
The spillage, carried out by the Volta River Authority (VRA) on September 15, 2023, displaced over 27,000 people, according to the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO).
Subsequently, in November 2023, the government as part of the 2024 budget, allocated GH¢220 million to aid relief efforts for communities impacted by the Akosombo Dam spillage.
During the President’s Independence Day Speech, the President revealed that GH¢80 million out of the promised GH¢220 million had been released by the Ministry of Finance, to support the rehabilitation of affected communities.
However, Hon. Ablakwa criticized the lack of transparency regarding the utilization of the GH¢80 million released by the Ministry of Finance.
He noted that when the Housing Minister was asked to provide details on what the government used the GH¢80 million for, he could not give concrete answers.
“The last time we heard from the Works and Housing Minister, the government was still assessing to determine how much exactly would go [into the project], and what sort of resettlement and low-cost housing they promised would happen. So, the last time the Works and Housing Minister visited, he told the chief that they should prepare the land, the government would soon arrive. That was about three weeks ago.”
Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
He indicated that according to the Chief of the area, the Minister of Works and Housing could not provide a design for the supposed housing project when asked. He stated that the Minister gave the excuse that the designs were not ready.
Hon. Ablakwa described the attitude of the government toward the resettlement project as lackadaisical, arguing that the government shows interest in the project only because it is constitutionally mandated to.
He noted that the dignity of the affected people must be restored as they do not want to “remain people who are at the mercy of charity and living in abject squalor”
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