The OneGhana Movement has revealed that the June 3 disaster which occurred seven years ago, was not an act of God.
According to the Movement, the disaster which claimed scores of lives and damaged several properties was avoidable. It explained that if due diligence had been done, the devastation could have been avoided.
“The disaster of June 3, 2015, was not an Act of God. They were the combined consequence of bad governance and corporate negligence on the part of politicians and public office holders who owed the people of Ghana a duty of care.”
OneGhana Movement
Recounting the incident in a statement, OneGhana Movement noted that although it may sound like a “ritual recall of statistics”, they were the real lives of fathers, mothers, wives, husbands, brothers, sisters, aunties, uncles, children, old and young that were affected by the tragedy.
“It was a rainy and windy night. Just as had been the norm, the Goil Filling Station at Circle and many other filling stations across the country provided temporary shelter for commuters who are usually caught up by rains while in transit to or from work. The night of June 3, 2015, was not an exception. But an avoidable disaster struck when floodwaters, fire and fuel merged to cause a great inferno, which left at least 154 dead and more than 200 injured and 2,500 affected.”
OneGhana Movement
As expected, the Movement highlighted that, the authorities rushed to the scene the following day with the “usual promises to bring perpetrators” to book. However, seven years on, it lamented that no one has been held accountable for the “avoidable disaster”.
Holding government accountable
OneGhana Movement stated that it has since 2017 been pursuing justice for the victims and people of Ghana. It emphasized that the “government of the day and the government today” have all but paid lip service to justice, accountability, and commensurate compensation for victims.
“The Movement and the victims, through our lawyers Samson Lardy Anyenini and Keli Kwesi Delataa (both working pro bono for this cause) commenced a class action lawsuit in 2018, pursuing GOIL, the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) for their complicity in the disaster.”
OneGhana Movement
The group revealed that despite the June 3 incident and the chant of “never again”, subsequent explosions such as the La gas explosion, the Atomic explosion, Takoradi explosion and more, have occured.
“Seven years on, we remind the government and the judiciary that justice delayed for the lives affected is justice denied and a failing of the duty of care owed to our fellow citizenry. May God continue to keep and protect the affected persons and their families.”
OneGhana Movement
In spite of the seeming delay, the Movement expressed optimism that the pursuit of justice will not only result in fair compensations for victims and their families but also in punishing officials found culpable, and “drive the sense of accountability and responsibility on the part of citizens, corporate Ghana, and public officials”. Avoidable disasters, the group stated, will not stop when no one is punished for their “negligence and dereliction” of duty.
Prior to this, the Member of Klottey-Korle constituency, Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, questioned the lack of progress following the 2019 approval of a $200 million credit facility to implement the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development Project. Speaking ahead of the seven-year anniversary of the fire and flood disaster, the MP opined that Ghana had not learned lessons from the tragedy that claimed at least 150 lives.
“… Two years after the funding was approved in Parliament, we are still waiting for the project to be executed as promised.”
Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings
As part of the intervention to prevent flooding in Accra, Parliament approved the $200 million credit facility to improve flood risk management and solid waste management in the Odaw River Basin of the Greater Accra Region and improve access to basic infrastructure and services in the targeted communities within the basin.
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