Fodzoku community appeals for infrastructure
The People of Fodzoku in the North Tongu District in the Volta Region have pleaded with the District Assembly, the Volta River Authority (VRA) and the government to attend to their needs, which they say are overwhelming them.
They specifically complained about the lack of potable water, poor road conditions, the absence of a police station in Fodzoku, and the general lack of other social amenities, all of which are making life difficult for them.
The Manklalo of the Fodzoku Traditional Area and the acting President of the Fodzoku Traditional Council, Torgbui Kwesi Misrobi III, made the appeal at the launch of this year’s Gligbaza Festival on the theme: “Water is life’’ at Fodzoku last Sunday.
Fodzoku, an Ewe community near Juapong, who are predominantly farmers, were resettled from their original place by VRA in 1980 (45 years ago) during the construction of the Kpong Dam.
Festival
The Gligbaza Festival that started 10 years ago signifies the enduring spirit of their tradition, the rich tapestry of their heritage and the strength of the people of Fodzoku under King Agorkoli at Nortsi in Togo.
It is a vibrant testament of their cultural value and history, which defines the people of the traditional area.
Torbgui Misrobi said the people of Fodzoku are suffering due to their present condition and need assistance from the government, especially the VRA that resettled them at their present location.
“How can a community of a population of over 1,500 have only one standpipe? It is woefully inadequate.
We are celebrating this year’s festival in December (21 to 28) purposely to raise funds to solve our water challenge in the community, even though that is not the only challenge that we have,” the Manklalo of the community stated.
He said all their efforts for VRA to come to their aid were not yielding the needed results and therefore there was a need to take further steps to begin addressing the issues, especially that of water.
The Assemblyman for Adafe Electoral Area, Franklin Apelete, who spoke with the Daily Graphic on the challenges facing the Fodzoku community, explained that even though VRA did well with good layouts when they were resettled, they were facing serious challenges now because no gutters were constructed.
He said during a downpour, six of their buildings collapsed as a result of water entering those homes. He, therefore, called for VRA and the North Tongu District Assembly to come to their aid.
Three people from the community, Rita Ketikpo, Nancy Akpo and Emmanuel Kwame Adjagli, who spoke with the Daily Graphic at the programme, complained bitterly about the water situation and called for joint efforts by VRA and the North Tongu District Assembly to solve their problem.
When contacted, the District Chief Executive for North Tongu, Victoria Amefadzi Yawa Doe, said as a new DCE, she was not aware of the challenges facing the Fodzoku community and was going to liaise with the assemblyman for the area to see the way forwar
