By Edzorna Francis Mensah
The Authority at the Korle Klottey Municipal Assembly (KoKMA) within the Greater Accra Region has turned a fountain, popularly known as the Kwame Nkrumah Fountain, that houses the statue of Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, within the reconstructed Kwame Nkrumah interchange into a refuse dump.
KoKMA, one of Two Hundred and Sixty (260) MMDAs and among the Twenty-Nine (29) in the Greater Accra Region situated in the South Eastern part of the Region with its Headquarters adjacent Obra Spot around Kwame Nkrumah circle has no other place to be used as refuse collection centre but a national monument that serve as a place for both domestic and foreign tourists to generate revenue for the same Assembly.
Drivers, commuters and traders conducting business in and around the place are said to be amazed and told this report that, the Assembly has allowed its sanitation officers to use the place as “Borla Centre” without recourse to health hazard to those who live and do business around the place.
It is said, the Assembly for over a year now has turned “this beautiful” place into “Zion Lion” as described by some of the traders who spoke to our reporter on condition of anonymity.
In fact, some the assembly workers who spoke to the reporter in off-camera where disappointed by the Assembly and the Assembly Member and his Unit Committee members within the area as they mentioned that “this is decision taken by the management is destroying the facility”- “the whole place is smelling, we can not breathe again because”.
The place is so nasty and dirty to the extent that, the protesters including the Police Officers of Tuesday’s demonstration could not stand the unpleasant smell within the inner perimeter and they had to move and stood on the highway opposite the Fire Service Station to avert trouble.
When the reporter visited the area, his camera captured the true picture as narrated by the traders and some of the Assembly Workers who are not happy about the development.
In fact, Tricycles loaded with refuse were left for so many months, spoiled wheel barrows are packed near the Nkrumah’s Statue, spoiled standing brooms now turned into refuse within the premises and above all, the beautiful fountain no more functioning for years allegedly.
Fountains have dried up leaving sludge particles in and around the water pipes, electrical wires/cables and other materials and tools which used to be beneath the water for functioning fountains are now exposed to the deadly weather.
The Korle Klottey Municipal Assembly was carved from the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (A.M.A), established in 2019 and was inaugurated on 19th February, 2019 to provide among other thing good sanitation, jobs and maintain law and order within its jurisdiction but it has become a victim of it won bye laws under the Local Government Act 1993, (Act 462) amended as Local Government Act, 2016 (Act 936) with Legislative Instrument (LI) 2365.
The current Kwame Nkrumah Interchange reconstructed by the Brazilian construction firm, Quieiroz Galvao was opened to traffic in 2016. The project, funded with a loan from the Brazilian government, has eased the traffic, and reduced travel time for commuters and vehicle operating cost to stimulate local economic growth which makes money for the same Korle Klottey Assembly and others.
The construction of the interchange became necessary following constant heavy traffic at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, which handled over 84,000 vehicles from the arterial roads and their intersections daily. The project involves detailed engineering and construction of the old circle into a three-tier interchange and other ancillary works, including drainage, terminals, pedestrian walkways, landscaping, among other things. It also includes a 1.2-kilometre flyover from the Busy Internet end of the Ring Road to the Awudome Cemetery, near the Obetsebi-Lamptey Roundabout, with lane markings and street lights. There are also down-pipe drains that will take water from the top to the drains and to the main gutters and service roads.
It has beautiful landscaping down-pipe, Fire Service Station and an ambulance station, two main terminals have also been constructed at the former Odawna Lorry Station and the Neoplan Station, with offices for the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU). There is also a fountain, popularly known as the Kwame Nkrumah Fountain, and a statue of Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, at the place but the assembly will destroy this facility if not checked now.
The Assembly is said to be responsible for the overall development of the District, formulate and execute plans, programmes and strategies for the effective mobilization of the resources necessary for the overall development of the District and to also promote and support productive activity and social development in the district and remove any obstacles to initiative and development among others.
