The Chief of the Morsi tribe at Old Fadama in Accra has accused the Accra Mayor, Alfred Oko Vanderpuije of being “insensitive” after “booting” residents out of the area.
“First of all I will have to apologise to the people of Old Fadama as the Mayor betrayed we the leaders over there because we were representing them but what they did was not appropriate,” said Issaka Sampson on Citi FM’s News Anaysis Programme, The Big Issue.
“It is not only Old Fadama that slums are. Slums are across the country. About 75 percent of private security working in Accra are staying there, kayaye are staying there, scrap dealers and so on. Suddenly they just came in and demoted us. Even Liberians have places to stay but we citizens were just booted out of Old Fadama,” he further complained.
The AMA task force and other security services demolished hundreds of structures in the area last Saturday.
Issaka recalled that the AMA initially notified leaders of the area a day prior to the demolition exercise of its intentions but failed to carry out the exercise on the scheduled day, only to arrive later and demolish structures in the area.
“We had just one day to move but we appealed to them and they said okay fine then they will come on Friday and start the work but they did not turn up and refused to call us. On Monday too we were expecting them but they did not call us. Then one day surprisingly, the AMA came to the area and demolished the structures.”
He further pointed out that the AMA was initially advised to suspend its demolition exercise until it begins the dredging but it went ahead to carry out the exercise, hiding behind the excuse that it was ready for the dredging to take off as soon as structures in the area are demolished.
The Chief also called on government to immediately intervene since most of their economic activities are carried out in the area.
“I am not happy with the demolition exercise because we were weren’t expecting them to carry out the exercise. This is very pathetic. Why can’t they dialogue with us.Where are we now going? Government should intervene because that is where we undertake our economic activities,” he appealed.
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