Residents of Dawhenya demonstrate over deplorable roads
Some residents of Dawhenya in the Ningo-Prampram District in the Greater Accra Region yesterday embarked on a demonstration over the deplorable state of roads in the area.
The demonstrators mounted road blocks and burnt tyres at the Dawhenya junction to protest over the appalling nature of roads, particularly, a link road that connects the community to Afienya.
Advertisement
In the process, two fire officers who were called in to help douse the fire from the burning tyres, sustained injuries following an alleged pelting of stones at them by the demonstrators.
The victims, who got injured on the forehead and eye respectively, received treatment at the Tema General Hospital (TGH).
Arrest
The District Police Commander, Superintendent Issah Mohammed Cantona, told the Daily Graphic that no arrest was made because they did not want the demonstration to degenerate into chaos.
“We have, however, extended an invitation to the organisers to report to the Command to assist us in our investigations and to also cater for the medical expenses of the two injured firemen,” he added.
Nature of road
The 12-kilometre stretch of the link road has deteriorated over the years, a situation residents said had led to a rise in violent crimes in the area as alleged criminal gangs often launched attacks on commuters who plied the untarred road, especially at night.
To drum home their grievances, the angry demonstrators hit the streets in the early hours of yesterday carrying placards with inscriptions such as: “No Road, No Campaigns,” “Armed robbery on the increase,” and “We are also part of Ghana.”
They also chanted songs and said they were tired of broken promises by successive governments and legislators to fix the road.
They further claimed that the state of the road was having negative consequences on the health and business of residents in the area.
The deplorable nature of the road has led to some commuters connecting from the Dawhenya community to Afienya through the Tema Motorway roundabout.
The leader of the Ningo-Prampram Youth for Development, Mr John Charway, explained that the protest was to convey their displeasure, and “this is our way of letting the government know that we could take further actions if the problem is not fixed.”
They issued a 14-day ultimatum to the government to fix the roads or witness more demonstrations in the community.
Pledge
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area, Mr Jonathan Paa Nii Doku, who was at the scene, pledged to forward the grievances of the residents to the government for redress.
For his part, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ningo-Prampram, Mr Samuel Nettey George, said he supported the action by the residents.
According to him, the road was critical in addressing the traffic congestion along the Tema-Aflao and the Tema-Akosombo roads.
“Successive governments have over the last 20 years, failed to improve on the road infrastructure in the area, leaving people to die.
“I will, therefore, support any protest that will put pressure on the government to improve the state of that particular road, because we cannot continue to see our people die,” the MP stated.