The two-day tour of the affected areas ended at Akyem Oda in the Birim Central municipality where Oda Zongo residents who were also severely affected by the floods accorded the NPP flagbearer ‘double double’ tumultuous welcome as they lined up the Zongo streets to welcome the flagbearer amid dancing and drumming.
At Anyinam in the Atiwa district, which was his first port of call, Nana Akufo-Addo presented 100 mattresses, 100 bags of rice, 50 boxes of ‘Frytol’ oil, 50 pieces of cloth, 30 cartons of tinned fish, 10 bags of sugar and 150 bags of ‘Standard’ sachets of water to the affected people.
Nana Akufo-Addo was given a very warm welcome by residents of Anyinam where the presentation was made through the NPP Member of Parliament for the area, Kwasi Amoako-Atta.
The MP was tasked to distribute the items to the affected people and ensure that the right people in dire need got them.
Nana Akufo-Addo toured the areas with his campaign manager, Boakye Agyarko; operations director Lord Commey; general secretary Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie; former Finance Minister Yaw Osafo Marfo’; deputy national women’s organizer Kate Gyamfua; former Foreign Affairs Minister and MP for New Juaben North Hackman Owusu-Agyemang; MP for Abuakwa South Samuel Atta Akyea; regional party executives and other NPP MPs in the region.
They visited Ankaase, Asunafo, Abomosu, Akrofufu, Asamama, Akwabuoso and Muoso all in the Atiwa district to mourn with the families who lost their family members.
In most of the towns, the visits turned into mini rallies as chiefs and people in the various towns gathered to receive him.
The flag-bearer made similar donations to two towns in the Fanteakwa district of the region, Busoso and Osino which were also affected by floods.
He told the people in the Atiwa district that through the ingenuity of the MP, a special relief fund had been created to comprehensively help all those affected by the floods, adding the NPP would help source for funds to support the MP’s special relief fund.
He expressed the hope that all the roads in the area which were badly affected by the floods would be given immediate attention by the government to help residents.
The MP, Amoako-Atta, asked the government to come to the aid of farmers, especially cocoa farmers in the area, since most of their farms had been destroyed by the floods.
He also appealed to charitable organizations and residents of Atiwa, both at home and abroad, to contribute generously to support the fund so that many people who lost their homes, farms and plantations could be assisted.
Government says 2,771 people in the Atiwa district have been affected by the flood and property worth more than GH¢500,000 were destroyed.
On Saturday, which was his second day of the tour, the NPP flag-bearer went to Adankrono, Kade and Soabe in the Kwaebibirem district where the floods caused a lot of extensive damage to proprieties.
Nana Akufo-Addo presented similar relief items together with beans to the affected people there.
Nana Akufo-Addo’s last port of call was at Oda Zongo and Oda Jamaica town in the Birim Central municipality where the reception was overwhelming.
He presented bags of rice, sugar, beans, water, canned fish as well as bags of cement to be distributed to the affected people in the two areas.
He expressed great satisfaction at the wonderful reception given to him and his team, stressing that the government needed to do more to help the ‘severely’ affected people.
He reminded the government not to do ‘politics’ with the situation, adding that all affected people must be treated equally.
From Thomas Fosu Jnr, Akyem Oda