The MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa, has issued a strong warning, stating that if the government and the Volta River Authority (VRA) do not act swiftly to resolve the urgent matters of re-settlements and compensation for those impacted by the spillage of the Akosombo Dam, legal action may be inevitable.
Ablakwa expressed his concern about the situation of the victims who have been forcibly displaced in communities along the Volta River and stressed the need for quick action to lessen their suffering.
“What we need now really are these housing units that we are constructing. The VRA should be also constructing. If they can construct a few hundred for people, it will help. The VRA and the central government must acknowledge that there is a reason people pay taxes, there is a reason we have the contingency vote. It is for emergencies of this kind.
“And I must be honest with you, I haven’t been pleased at all. The neglect has been unconscionable. Public officials must know that they owe a duty of care, and they are not doing anybody a favour. It is an obligation, it is a must. So wherever they are, let’s just be kind to them and say that probably they are mobilising. They are just keeping too long in the mobilisation. They should hurry up and come back and get to work and resettle our people.
“The people deserve their houses back, they deserve to be compensated, and I hope that they don’t compel me to initiate a class action in court. Because at some point we can’t continue any longer with the private initiatives.
“And if we see that the government is still negligent and derelict, we will have to commence legal action. A class action to compel the government to do the right thing. I hope that we don’t have to get there,” this is what he stated on Thursday, according to citinewsroom.com.
Homes and livelihoods were destroyed as a result of the Akosombo Dam spill, which was controlled by the Volta River Authority (VRA) to avoid the dam’s banks being overtopped and potentially catastrophic events occurring.
Crops and fish farms were washed away, and students’ education was interrupted. The Safe Alternative Housing Project is a proactive response meant to meet the displaced people’s urgent housing needs.
