President of policy think tank, IMANI Ghana, Franklin Cudjoe has called for the head of the Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Alfred Oko Vanderpuije over the recent flooding in the area.
According to him, Mr. Vanderpuije should be sacked or forced to resign because promises that flooding incident will not happen this year has proved futile.
Oko Vanderpuije had noted that the AMA had desilted the main drains and obstacles that cause flooding in the area hence his remarks.
“The commitment to make sure that we remove all obstacles, distill and dredge the Korle and the Odaw to ensure free water flow will continue unabated.
That is my assurance to the people of Accra and indeed the whole nation that the people’s capital is ever safe than before… last week we had three or four days of severe rains and the city was able to withstand the circumstances and the aftermath of the rains… we will be very steadfast in our monitoring of the environment to ensure that we do not allow people to build in our waterways," he added.
But days after the Mayor’s comments, Accra recorded another flooding incident last Thursday leading to the destruction of properties worth thousands of Ghana cedis; but for the intervention of the military, some lives would have been lost.
The heavy downpour flooded low-lying parts of the capital, including Adabraka, Circle, Airport Residential area, Alajo and Teshie Nungua, Odawna among others.
Technically incompetent
Speaking on Citi FM’s News analysis programme, The Big Issue, Franklin Cudjoe argued that Oko Vanderpuije’s made a “technically incompetent” comment hence must be fired.
“The Accra Mayor should have been sacked or resign by now. It’s not about no people dying. Last year, when these numbers died, this guy came around with a litany of explanations and this time around he was singing praises…this is the resign why I want him to be sacked or resign.”
“Those comments were technically incompetent because he had not spoken to his engineers, if he had one. If they had advised him properly he wouldn’t be making those vain glorifying statements. It’s completely absurd to live in a country that is supposed to be one of the best attractors of investment and to have a city that can come to a standstill after few minutes of rain,” he added.
Applaud AMA boss for reducing effect of flooding
But Abraham Amaliba, a member of the governing National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) legal team who was also on the show said government and the AMA boss should be applauded for reducing the effect of flooding in the area.
To him, the flooding would have been worse if such works hadn’t been done.
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