MPs donate to displaced Old Fadama residents
An intended tour of Sodom and Gomorrah by Parliament and the presentation of items to some displaced persons of the demolition exercise there turned chaotic yesterday when some residents besieged the vehicle conveying the delegation from Parliament.
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Led by the Majority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin, the Members of Parliament (MPs) and journalists detailed to cover the tour had to be whisked away into a bus by some security personnel.
The residents, numbering about 1,000, refused to adhere to the security protocols laid by the police who were on the ground to allow both the MPs and the journalists to have a fair observation of the site.
They rather took charge of the exercise and directed the MPs to the site, but at a point they nearly engaged in verbal exchanges with the security personnel.
The MPs inspected the demolished site, where they were greeted with dust and heavy stench from the site.
The chiefs and opinion leaders who were visited before the tour refused to pass any comment until the MPs had had a feel of what had befallen the residents after the demolition.
Keep claim
Mr Bagbin, addressing the residents, urged them to remain calm and patient while waiting for the government to go to their aid.
“I would plead with you to be patient, continue with the tolerance and the maturity that you are showing and allow us to tour the place, so we can properly report to Parliament to assist the government to respond appropriately to your urgent needs,” he said.
He said the government shared in their pain and suffering and was working in partnership with other agencies to come up with a strategy that would help to alleviate their suffering.
“Let me assure all of you that we are with you; we share your pain and suffering and we will do everything with the power that you have given us to ensure that justice is done,” he said.
Restore facilities
For his part, the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Alhaji Collins Dauda, said as an immediate measure, the ministry was going to restore some basic facilities such as water and electricity to the area.
Additionally, he said, the ministry would also provide mobile toilets for the victims to prevent them from easing themselves at the demolished site and in the lagoon.
The items the MPs brought for the people included 100 bags of rice, 20 bags of sugar, five cartons each of soap and cooking oil and 100 mattresses.