The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Jomoro Constituency of the Western Region has called on the government to listen to the plight of the residents in the constituency and construct their deplorable roads.
The NDC says “to avoid other actions supported by law from indigenes of Jomoro”, the government must do them the honours and come to their aid.
Residents, who are mostly commercial drivers, in almost every part of the Nzemaland last week demonstrated against the dilapidated nature of their roads.
On Monday, the drivers refused to move their vehicles to convey passengers.
They blocked some roads and burnt vehicle tyres in reaction to the government’s inability to fix their numerous roads.
At a point in time, police had to fire gunshots to disperse some of the demonstrators.
Reacting to the development during a press conference in the Jomoro Constituency, the Communications Officer, Nyamekeh Lenrie, expressed gratitude to the Member of Parliament for the Constituency, Dorcas Affo-Toffey, for fixing some of their roads for them.
Read below the full press conference:
A PRESS CONFERENCE ADDRESSED BY COMRADE NYAMEKEH LENRIE, CONSTITUENCY
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER OF THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS (NDC) – JOMORO
29th July, 2023.
DEPLORABLE STATE OF THE SAMENYE TO HALF ASSINI, NEWTOWN ROADS NETWORK.
Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen and to our friends from the media here present and across the world.
Today, we have gathered here to add our voices to the numerous calls by various individuals and groups in calling on the Nana Addo – Bawumia NPP led Government to fix our deadly road that spans from Samenye barrier to Jaway Wharf and to Newtown. Unlike the NPP in Jomoro who are only bothered with personal interest such as scrapping off a whole Power Barge at Effasu, we in the NDC side with the masses, hence the need to add our voice to the numerous voices calling on the government to fix our roads.
This road has become a thorn in the flesh of both drivers and passengers in the Jomoro constituency.
We have received several promises from this government, some of whom include the vice president of the republic, H. E. Alhaji Bawumia and the MCE, madam Louisa Adde.
Friends from the media, you will recall that, on October, 9th 2020, the vice president during a two-day working visit to the western region, came to Jomoro and in the presence of Awulae Annor Adjei III, cut sod for the construction of the Samenye barrier to Jaway Wharf and to Newtown roads. In that ‘votes winning’ ceremony, the vice president promised that the 108.8km road (Including some town roads such as Bonyere, Tikobo 1, Tikobo 2, Ebonloa etc) will be completed in Two years by My Turn Ltd and Kinspok company Ltd.
Ladies and gentlemen from the media, it will interest you to know that, the time frame given by the vice president for the road to be completed elapsed last year and yet our roads have rather moved from bad to worse. The MCE, Ms Louisa Arde, also on the other hand kept on keeping our faith high in the heavens. Just November last year, the MCE is on record to have stated on NewDay Fm that she has done all that she’s supposed to do and in no time contractors will move to site to begin work.
Friends from the media, it has been realized that, just like the appointor, the appointee also lied to us. If it is tomorrow that the contractor will come on the road, that we do not know.
Let me at this point commend the Member of Parliament for Jomoro, Hon. Dorcas Affo Toffey. But for her swift intervention in reshaping roads linking communities such as Tweakor 1, Tweakor 2 and farm roads in the Kabenlasuazo enclave, all in her constituency, residents in those areas wouldn’t also have had it easy. We would also want to commend her for having the Samenye barrier to Jaway Wharf and the town roads at heart for which reason, on the 10th of March 2023, she summoned the Roads minister to the floor of Parliament and asked about when the said road will be completed. It was striking to note from the Minister’s response that the road that was supposed to have been completed on 24th December, 2022 has now become a death trap for residents in Jomoro as at today the 29th of July 2023. Indeed the good people of Jomoro are never taken serious a bit by this inept and deceitful government.
Friends from the media, isn’t it surprising that the minister in his response to the question filed by the Honourable Member of Parliament for Jomoro, said that, the road is seeing a slow pace because of inadequate funding when we know that, the funding agency for this road project is the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC)? GNPC as we all know is funding hundreds of projects nationwide including road networks in the Eastern region, the president’s home region. The good people of Jomoro deserves development. As article 36(6) of the 1992 constitution clearly states, there shall be fairness in the distribution of development and equality in economic opportunity to all without exception. How come a constituency which is at the heart of Ghana’s oil and gas sector is denied of its fair share of development. This is mere wickedness and intentional deprivation. We need our share from the oil and gas proceeds.
So we say Fix Our Roads Now! Concerned Drivers Association in the constituency also couldn’t hold their nerves any longer as they are the immediate affected people of the bad nature of roads. Apart from the rising prices of spare parts and the increasing fuel prices at the pumps (despite the gold for oil policy), they have to also spend hours on a road that they could have spent minutes on. So they had to embark on a three day sit down strike without moving their vehicles. This brought untold inconveniences to passengers.
Pregnant women have to endure the pain of labour as well as the pain of making a deadly voyage to hospital for antenatal. Fix Our Roads Now
Surprisingly, H. E. Bawumia this week came to Jomoro on Tuesday, 25th July, 2023 to campaign to be elected as the NPP flag bearer. And in running away from his own shadow, knowing very well he has lied to the good people of Jomoro, decided to use the Alabokazo Benyinli road that was constructed by the erstwhile Mahama government just to swerve the deplorable road from Samenye. We ask a simple question: What was the size of the elephant on the Samenye barrier route that blocked the fleet of cars of Dr. Bawumia from using that stretch of road?
We do not want to believe that, just like the one district, one factory and the $1million a year per constituency, the year of road has also been a sham. Jomoro is a constituency that can boast of four approved boarder towns, generating huge sums of money for this government, yet, with the year of roads launched by this bungling government;
*Drivers are suffering
*Passengers are suffering
*Market women are suffering
*Students are suffering
*Mates are suffering
*Pragya drivers are suffering
*Farmers are suffering
*Okada drivers are suffering
*Everybody is suffering on this road because of its state.
In conclusion, Ghanaians and for that matter, Jomoronians voted for NPP to solve our problems and not to become problems for us. We are therefore calling on the government to fix our roads now (at least bring it to its former state as they met it) to avoid other actions supported by law from indigenes of Jomoro.
We thank you and may God bless us all
Long live Jomoro
Long live NDC
Signed
NYAMEKEH LENRIE
CONSTITUENCY COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER – JOMORO
Constituency Secretariat
Half-Assini.