On Saturday, June 20, 2015, I was excited when my colleague, Kojo Agyemang reported that the Accra Metropolitan Assembly and the Ministry of Local Government were undertaking a demolition exercise along the banks of the Odaw River and the Korle Lagoon to make way for the dredging and desilting of the two water bodies.<\/p>\n
My excitement grew when Kojo indicated that the exercise was generally peaceful with no resistance from the residents whose structures had been affected.<\/p>\n
I said to myself that for once, we were all in agreement that the city had to be rid of filth and unauthorized structures which will improve the flow of water and at least reduce the scale of the perennial flooding of the capital city.<\/p>\n
I was particularly impressed that the Mayor, whom we all say is full of talk but no action was finally getting to work and also, the Old Fadama residents were willing to leave the banks of the two water bodies to make the work of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) easier.<\/p>\n
But when Kojo returned to the office, he looked worried. Upon enquiry, he said the no show of resistance from the residents was suspicious and he had a strong feeling that something was definitely up.<\/p>\n
I sought to calm him and told him that I was pretty sure the city authorities may have informed them before the demolition was carried out.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, he sent me a text that he was going back to the demolition site to see how the residents were coping and we discussed the various story angles he should look out for.<\/p>\n
His report for Monday morning was particularly sad. The residents slept on their tubers of yam on sale and on the bare ground because their shelters had been destroyed. Sadly, it rained that night which worsened their plight. They thus threatened to demonstrate against the government for the inhumane treatment they had been subjected to.<\/p>\n
I began having mixed feelings about the demolition and wondered how much planning had gone into the exercise.<\/p>\n
It therefore came as no surprise to me when the angry residents took to the streets to demonstrate on Monday.<\/p>\n
Photos and videos began flooding in on social media on the on-going violent demonstration which had clearly taken the city authorities and security services by surprise.<\/p>\n
They vandalized state property and issued all kinds of threats which were not only directed at the government, but also at residents of Accra.<\/p>\n
They threatened mayhem and warned that they will make our lives a living hell by terrorising us on end if we took their livelihoods from them.<\/p>\n
It was indeed a scary sight looking at the photos, videos and reports on the incident.<\/p>\n
Social media went into an overdrive with widespread condemnation directed at the angry Old Fadama residents who were wielding stones, clubs, and other offensive weapons.<\/p>\n
The condemnation was very necessary because violence has never been the solution to any problem and they had no right to threaten the lives of residents living in the city.<\/p>\n
The demonstration brought into focus the lack of planning which had gone into Saturday\u2019s demolition.<\/p>\n
Indeed the government in my opinion had woefully failed to map out an operational roadmap to guide the demolition and the subsequent relocation of the Old Fadama residents to other parts of the city.<\/p>\n
It was very evident that the decision to relocate their businesses to Adjen Kotoku and their residence to Pokuasi, precisely, the land given to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) by government to undertake research, was taken in the spur of the moment.<\/p>\n
Obviously, government announced these two locations to save face and also to calm nerves but I doubt if any discussions had taken place with the local authorities in Pokuasi and Adjen Kotoku.<\/p>\n
I am narrating what has transpired so far not to bore you but to make a point.<\/p>\n
Accra is sitting on a time bomb; oh yes it is!<\/p>\n
Another dangerous angle to the whole demolition saga was the unsavoury and sleazy comments passed by many at the height of the controversy. Our unmeasured statements and sometimes, unwarranted utterances have exposed our high level of intolerance as a people.<\/p>\n
The country is divided on so many levels and oh; don\u2019t tell me politics is what divides us most. Tribalism divides us, yet, we live in pretence and denial.<\/p>\n
There is this perception that southerners in Ghana treat northerners as second class citizens and indeed, our recent reaction to their current predicament has given credence to that view.<\/p>\n
I was dismayed when I heard some residents of Adjen Kotoku on national television saying they will not accept the northern migrants into their community because they are dirty and violent.<\/p>\n
One Adjen Kotoku resident also said they northerners are dirty so allowing them to resettle in their \u2018clean\u2019 community will turn that place into a slum like Old Fadama.<\/p>\n
Personally, I think they could have made their objections known without describing them as dirty and violent, or using any of such uncomplimentary descriptive words. As this I believe will only fuel their anger and the possible attacks they have threatened.<\/p>\n
And come to think of it, why couldn\u2019t Ghana Television, the station of the nation, edit that sound bite before airing it on their 7pm news on Thursday?<\/p>\n
We the media are the gate keepers, our actions could spark violence and in a sensitive situation like this, I believe circumspection should be exercised at the highest level.<\/p>\n
You call them dirty but aren\u2019t we all dirty? Are they the only ones whose activities have choked the Odaw River and Korle Lagoon?<\/p>\n
Our collective effort at generating rubbish and our collective failure of ensuring the proper disposal of these tons of garbage have clogged these two water bodies which are now a pale shadow of their former selves.<\/p>\n
If Ghana had working systems and equal level of development across the 10 regions, certainly the number of citizens who troop to the national capital to seek greener pastures would have been manageable.<\/p>\n
If you live in a village up north and after months of hard labour on your farm, you are unable to transport your produce to the market to sell because of deplorable road networks, over time, will frustration not set in?<\/p>\n
If after Senior High School or after your tertiary education, you are unable to get a decent employment which will put food on your table at the end of the day, will you not explore your options and possibly migrate to the big cities?<\/p>\n
We are just being hypocritical by sacking them to go back to their home regions because we have no space to house them here in Accra.<\/p>\n
How many Ghanaians haven\u2019t embarked on perilous journeys to seek greener pastures in other countries? And who said they live in healthy and safe conditions in \u2018obimanso\u2019?<\/p>\n
They live in ramshackle shelters in the outskirts of major towns and cities.<\/p>\n
Their shelters are made up of tents which are covered with tarps and damp blankets and they are constantly being chased and harassed by the Police because they do not have legal documents to live in these countries.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s not deceive ourselves by blaming our northern brothers and sisters for refusing to leave Old Fadama where they have been allowed to live for years all for political expediency.<\/p>\n
I applaud those who have resolved to go back to their respective towns and villages but let\u2019s not kid ourselves, this will not deter others from coming to Accra to live and work.<\/p>\n
Until the fundamental problem of developmental disparity is solved, rural-urban migration will continue and please, let us not worsen the situation with unsavoury words and descriptions.<\/p>\n
To allow the discussion to assume a tribal turn will not only be unfortunate but unfair.<\/p>\n
–<\/p>\n
Author: Efua Idan Osam<\/strong><\/p>\n Email: osamidan@yahoo.com<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On Saturday, June 20, 2015, I was excited when my colleague, Kojo Agyemang reported that the Accra Metropolitan Assembly and the Ministry of Local Government were undertaking a demolition exercise along the banks of the Odaw River and the Korle Lagoon to make way for the dredging and desilting of the two water bodies. My […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":129426,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[8,38],"yoast_head":"\n