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The Executive Director of IMANI Ghana, Franklin Cudjoe is calling for a class action suit against city authorities for not taking effective measures to avert the June 3 flood and fire disaster that killed 152 lives in 2015.

Franklin Cudjoe believes the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and the Mayor of Accra, could have prevented what he describes as needless deaths in the disaster, if they had been more efficient.

“Having a one year anniversary and then sit there and say we are sorry doesn’t change anything. People should actually be suing the AMA, there should be class action against the AMA…,” he said.

“We should not say we are grateful that we are alive because essentially those deaths were needles deaths as a result of chaotic urban governance..,” he added

The AMA as part of activities to mark the one year commemoration of the incident, gave about 25 families of the victims of the disaster GH¢10,000 each.

But speaking on Citi FM’s News Analysis Programme, The Big Issue, Franklin Cudjoe said the AMA’s decision to give such a meager amount is an insult to the lives that were lost.

“Ghc10,000 is an insult to the lives that were lost. We think that the city leadership has to be organised. I don’t see any leadership in this waste management. Nothing, zero.., “ he complained.

Mayors must be elected to ensure efficiency

Franklin Cudjoe therefore suggested the election of Mayors , just like in other countries such as the United Kingdom among others to make them more responsible and efficient.

“All of these problems have a common ancestry and in this case it is the nature of our governance system…We should have our city leaders elected which is an extension of the whole idea of serving decentralized system of administration that will not yield to command, control politics of the centre,” he argued.

June 3 disaster victims can sue – MP

The Member of Parliament for the Dome-Kwabenya Constituency, Adwoa Sarfo, has similarly warned of a possible class action suit against government and GOIL if steps are not taken to provide adequate compensation package for the survivors and bereaved families of the June 3 fire and flood disaster.