Nana Akomea, former Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has bemoaned the lack of enforcement of building codes in the city, a situation he promotes the growth of slums.This he said has caused kneejerk reactions by several governments to demolish slums rendering several persons homeless and also infringing on their rights as Ghanaians.
Regrettably, successive governments, he said have adopted kneejerk reactions such as demolishing of structures at slums after they have been allowed to develop. In many cases, large numbers of people are rendered homeless, with its attendant human right issues.
Following the recent demolition exercises undertaken by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) especially at Mensah Guinea, there have been calls for guidelines to manage removal of slum dwellers from unauthorised structures in the city.
In February this year, after the Adjei Kojo demolition, President John Mahama asked city authorities to publish guidelines to manage slums in the country.
Nana Akomea speaking on Newsfile on Joy FM and Multi-TV Saturday, said the president’s call shows clearly there are no guidelines to manage the situation.
The unfortunate development, according to him, shows “a symptom of leadership failure. The real cause is leadership failure.”
Calling for guidelines is a kneejerk reaction “and that has been the way leadership seems to have operated over the years and so leadership is the cause – leadership at the highest level,” he stated.
“If there were clear guidelines, we will not wait for cholera to kill people and then take this kneejerk reaction,” Nana Akomea added.
The former Communications Director of the NPP was of the view that there are laws in Ghana that are supposed to help control these unfortunate developments but the challenge has been enforcement.
“The laws are there, the problem is the enforcement of the laws. Despite our economic situation, if we can achieve 80% enforcement of laws on the statue books we will be a far better country. Enforcing the law is a leadership matter, it is an executive matter. Not just this government…it is over the period.”
“There are people who are being paid to exercise that executive function, they do not do it,” Nana Akomea lamented.
He urged that in the case of Mensah Guinea, the authorities should go to the area, find out the exact number of persons who have been rendered homeless and resettle them. This, he added, should not be expenditure on government. Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Ernest Dela Aglanu (Twitter: @delaXdela / Instagram: citizendela)
This article has 0 comment, leave your comment.