Aid distribution ends in confusion

Confusion arose among some residents of Chorkor, a suburb of Accra, who were affected by last Monday night’s rainfall.

The residents, some of whom suffered tragedy, have expressed fear that they may not receive their share of the donation of roofing sheets from the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA). 

They claimed that they had not undergone any registration that entitled them to receive the items from the assembly member of the area, Mr Derrick Myers. 

According to them, the only way a resident could receive his/her share of the donated roofing sheets was for the victims to be properly registered.

The situation brought about confusion between the assembly member and a section of the residents who accused him of refusing to register them.   

The gossip among aggrieved residents was that only a few ‘favoured’ residents had been registered to receive the item and that majority of them who really needed assistance had been ignored.

“Anytime assistance comes the way of Chorkor, only a few people benefit. Why? Are we not part of Chorkor?” some of the residents asked, grieving over their plight. 

“The best way to go about this is to visit the houses of all those who claim to have been affected for confirmation before they are registered,” a resident who spoke to the Daily Graphic said. 

Korle-Gonno needs help too 

The situation nearly got out of control when the assembly member for Korle-Gonno, Mr Abel Benini, threatened to disrupt the exercise because in many instances, assistance from the assembly in times of disaster was sent to Chorkor, neglecting Korle-Gonno.

“Go to Korle-Gonno and see for yourself. Many houses were affected by the rainfall. Just this morning, many people visited my home to complain about their predicament. Meanwhile, the two communities are within the Ablekuma South District,” he said. He added that the entire roofing on the Korle-Gonno Boys School had been swept away by the storm that hit the area on Monday night and since then no help had come to the people. 

According to him, the assembly member of Chorkor had told him he funded the purchase of the roofing sheets on his own. But he wondered: If that was true, why was the chief executive of the assembly and his management presenting the items on his behalf?

AMA’s response 

In an interview with the Public Relations Officer of AMA, Numo Blafo, he said the roofing sheets were funded by the assembly and not by the assembly member.

According to him, the assembly member presented the assembly with a petition on behalf of the community for assistance to get affected residents to re-roof their houses, to which the assembly complied. 

Numo Blafo disagreed that the assembly discriminated against communities when it came to the distribution of aid. He said it was the responsibility of the assembly member concerned to present the needs of the community to the assembly for action to be taken.