Residents of Vea community, a suburb of Bongo in the Upper East Region have asked the Roads and Highways Minister, Kwesi Amoako Atta to as a matter of urgency show them a contractor he tasked to work on the Vea Dam spillway for easy access of commuters.
At a press conference held on Wednesday at the embankment of the dam in Vea, the residents noted that the minister in 2020 made a categorical statement that plans were far advanced in constructing the spillway hence the community members should not in any way contribute monies to work on the spillway because under no circumstances will the government allow road users to construct a bridge or road in the country on their own.
The residents say they breathe a sigh of relief following the minister’s assurance but the mouthwatering promise turned out to be a “prank”. The angrily-looking residents say the minister never introduced the contractor to them or shown any contract documents in that regard.
A resident leader, Aberinga Milton who read the statement on behalf of the residents noted that the community members were making contributions towards working on the bridge for easy access but ever since that “prank” statement was made by the minster and the then-District Chief Executive for Bongo, Peter Ayinbisa, their fund-raising efforts were thwarted as they were made to believe that the bridge would be provided by the government.
Describing the minister’s assurance as a trick, Mr. Aberinga however cautioned the minister to either respond to their calls or risk seeing their next line of action.
“The people of Vea, Gowrie, Awaa, Lungo, and Nyariga now state our positions that as rightful citizens of Ghana we demand the immediate bridging of the spillway to facilitate the development of the area.
Also, the purported contract covering the bridge if authentic must be implemented now. We also need to benefit from the government’s free education policy which is not possible without access to the school by pupils and teachers. Failure to construct the bridge will compel the members of the aforementioned communities to advise themselves.”
The Chief of the Vea community, Naba Thomas Azubire II, who was at the press conference said he will support any action that the residents will take since the government has failed to listen to their predicament.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1 MHz|Moses Apiah| Ghana
