Hawkers Take Over �Dubai� Interchange Few Months After Commissioning

Today can report that brisk business by hawkers has taken over the newly constructed Kwame Nkrumah Interchange, few months after former President, John Dramani Mahama, commissioned it.

Additionally, the facility has become a sleeping haven for hundreds of homeless individuals and criminals.

A visit to the place by the paper recently revealed that many of the hawkers have began setting up tables and other items on the pavements of the interchange to display their goods for sale.

This worrying development, Today discovered, started taking shape immediately after the investiture of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

For instance, on the night of Wednesday, January 11, 2017 Today was reliably informed that all the four sheds at the terminal were occupied by men and women, young and old, as their sleeping places.

Some were even asleep and even snoring heavily to the annoyance of many taxi and trotro drivers who had also turned the terminal into their abodes.

A taxi driver, Paa Nii, who operates in the night, told Today that “a stitch in time saves nine.”

He was of the view that there should be a security post to ensure that people do not use the terminal as their homes.

“When you go to Achimota Terminal people don’t sleep there because security personnel are there to prevent such practice. But this place [Circle Interchange] is too open for criminals. It is too bad and must be halted as early as possible,” a disappointed trotro driver, who gave his name as Kwesi Twum, angrily told Today.

Some of the people who sleep at the terminal also contended that they have no place to call their home.

“The place is good for us. There are no mosquitoes here and we enjoy the air. We beg the government to allow us to use this place,” a visibly drunk man told Today.

According to the Station Manager at the Circle Interchange, Joe Ahene, the situation was becoming uncontrollable.

“At night the whole place is inundated with people from different places. In fact, the criminals are many but what can we do? We are helpless,” he said.

“Unlike the Achimota Terminal, this place is too prone to criminals. There are lots of stealing and other dangerous activities by these people. Some have lived here for well over 10 years and have even lost contacts with their families. It’s a big problem,” he lamented.