ER chiefs disgusted at poor road conditions
Members of the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs, last Monday, came face-to-face with the deplorable nature of some roads in the region.
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Led by the President of the House, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin, the chiefs, who were on an inspection tour under heavy police escort and guard, had a feel of the Koforidua - Bonsu, Suhum - Apedwa stretch of the Accra - Kumasi roads and the Suhum - Asamankese road.
Among the paramount chiefs were the Konor of Manya Krobo, Nene Sackitey, Okotwasuo Katamanto Oworee Agyekum of Akyem Bosome, and Nana Osei Nyarko of Boso - Guan.
There were representatives of all the paramount chiefs in the Eastern Region, as well as Members of Parliament from the New Patriotic Party and some regional executives of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU).
At Tafo, on the Koforidua - Bonsu stretch, a grader was seen reshaping some portions of the road much to the surprise of everybody, including media personnel.
The journey on the Suhum - Asamankese road, which could have taken about 30 minutes, was done in almost two hours. The road had developed gullies, which at times made it impossible for cars to go beyond 30 kilometres per hour. Even where equipment had been stationed, it was realised that the contractors had abandoned the site.
Addressing a press conference after the inspection at Suhum, Osagyefo Ofori Panin described the nature of the roads as criminal due to the numerous accidents and deaths that had been occurring on them.
He, therefore, called on the government to, as a matter of urgency, fix the road network in the Eastern Region to ensure quick delivery of goods and services.
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He said the tour followed several criticisms from the general public, adding that: "We are not motivated by any political party. What is happening is for the good of the country”.
Osagyefo Ofori Panin described Ghana as a nation state and not a city state where resources were controlled from the centre, and called for resources to be provided at the local level to tackle the challenges such as the rehabilitation of the roads.
He was not happy that since the era of Dr Kwame Nkrumah no town or village had been transformed due to bad roads "because we have not connected rural Ghana to urban Ghana".
"Major programmes and projects, including the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), affordable housing and roads were never completed and this must be stopped.
“Our democracy could come under threat because all powers are vested in the executive. The constitution must be reviewed to curtail the powers of the executive.
“The time has come for decentralisation to be deepened in the country," he said.
He appealed to the people not to label their action as politically motivated “because the bad roads did not start with President John Mahama. Good roads ensure development; we are here to share in your frustration and would apprise President Mahama of the bad nature of the roads,” he concluded.
Various chiefs from the 11 paramountcies took turns to also speak about bad roads in their traditional areas.