Lord, spare us Ebola
The day was Thursday, August 7, 2014. There was an early morning downpour and like a volcanic eruption, the smelly choked gutters spilled out the contents of their bellies onto the streets.
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Things have not been good in the capital city and that morning, things got worse. Almost all the flood-prone areas got suspended on dirty water with areas around the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, where construction was taking place, being the worst affected.
I was highly distressed when I saw the condition of the main road running through the North Industrial Area. This is where most of the surviving industries in the capital are sited. I was, therefore, not expecting a deterioration of such magnitude on that portion of road.
There are no pedestrian walkways so when the spillage from the gutters took over the road, and motorists and commuters started struggling for space on the muddy road.
This road has some big industrial names. They include the New Times Corporation, Fan Milk Ghana Limited, Ashfoam, Latex foam, LG Electronics and many others that are taxpaying institutions and offer employment to many Ghanaians.
Man must eat, so even in those deplorable conditions, food vendors, including those roasting yam, corn and plantain, were doing brisk business serving their patrons. There were also the regular waakye, kenkey, banku and other local food sellers who were going about their daily business of making a living.
I always maintain that our deplorable condition has not been necessitated by lack of funds. It is purely a matter of irresponsibility, carelessness, misplacement of our priorities or a combination of all.
With such a dirty environment, it is not surprising that the national capital is recording more cholera cases than any other part of the country. That makes it interesting the fanfare with which we embark on refuse collection campaigns.
An exercise that should be a daily affair is given a political twist to paint a picture of a caring leader. Otherwise why should the local government minister announce that the Vice-President of the Republic has given a 10-day ultimatum for refuse in the city to be cleared?
If the minister and the Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive wait for a directive from the Vice-President before embarking on refuse collection to rid the capital of filth, then the nation can do without their positions which come with a heavy financial burden on the taxpayer.
The traffic buildup at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle could be appreciated due to the construction works going on there. What about those at the Danquah and Obetsebi Lamptey circles? These are important and strategic places in the city named after illustrious sons of the land and, therefore, should not be left in those despicable conditions.
By now, we should realise that these circles have become bottlenecks to vehicular movement in the capital and the earlier we act to give the capital a modern outlook and ease the pain of motorists the better.
Accra generally has not been blessed with the type of road network to befit the status of a millennium city as some people dream it to be. If we want to raise our stake on the investment market, then we need to do something drastic about the roads in the capital.
The road from La through Danquah Circle to the Police Headquarters is an eyesore and a blight on our national pride. It seems we have ready-made excuses for our failures and the one that is constant is lack of funds. We must depart from the path of despondency and negativity.
The outbreak of the deadly Ebola disease in the subregion has brought the continent into the news again for the worse of reasons. We in Ghana have escaped the scourge so far even though national apprehension is up to panic levels as we brace ourselves for the worse. The source is still not clear but filth and insanitary conditions cannot be ruled out.
We are already battling malaria and lately cholera. These are largely preventable diseases but for our disregard for the basic rules of environmental cleanliness and personal hygiene.
As we take all the precautions to avoid Ebola, let us step up efforts to clear the mountains of refuse in Accra, in particular, and other major cities and towns. For now, we can only beg that God, the Father Almighty, let would this bitter chalice of Ebola pass us by. We already have enough.
Writer’s email: [email protected]
