Public edifices loses beauty as they are defaced with posters

Most of the major interchanges in Accra, and the public structures, which are supposed to beautify the national capital, have been turned into advertisement hubs.

Various sections of the flyovers have been covered with a plethora of publicity materials, marring the beauty of the interchanges.

Posters, banners and other forms of promotional materials belonging to corporate institutions, political parties, religious bodies and event organisers are competing for space on the surface of the multi-million-dollar public facilities.

The indiscriminate display of posters on the facilities has the potential of becoming a challenge to the quest by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to make Accra the cleanest city in Africa.

During a visit by the Daily Graphic to some of the road infrastructure such as the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange, the Mallam Overpass and the Dr Ako Adjei Flyover, it was observed that structures that are awash with a myriad of unapproved promotional materials.

Kwame Nkrumah Interchange

At the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange, it was observed that the structure had been branded with scores of unauthorised materials, publicising events, such as church programmes, jobs and travelling opportunities.

Most of the items postered, including campaign posters of some political parties, appeared worn out, torn or had expired dates.

AMA is helpless

Just under the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange some officials of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly’s (AMA’s) Rapid Response Unit.

The officials of the AMA appeared helpless as the third in command of the unit, Mr Gyebi Ababio, admitted he had seen the posters but could neither do or say anything about them.

“I can’t say anything about it because my boss is not around so please contact the main AMA office,” he said.

AMA

In an interview, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the AMA, Mr Gilbert Nii Ankrah, he indicated that he was aware of the indisciplined act of bill posting at the interchange, adding “that is not the only place we have posters, we have witnessed some of them in other parts of the metropolis.”

He expressed concern over the unauthorised posting of notices and the defacing of public facilities in some parts of the city.

Mr Ankrah explained that the Chief Executive of the AMA, Mr Mohammed Adjei Sowah, was working round the clock to come up with measures to curb the menace.

The measures, he said, would detail the necessary punishments and procedures that would be put in place to deal with the situation.

Ako Adjei Interchange

At the Dr Ako Adjei lnterchange, the situation was not different from that of the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange

The roundabout, which was developed into a multi-purpose interchange years ago to help ease traffic on the Ring Road East and the Independent Avenue Intersection, has become a centre for graffiti.

The walls of the interchange are being used as a tool for communication, drumming home various messages such as “Ghana goes green,” “New voters register,” “Say no to ECOWAS Register,” etc.

Additionally the colours of the national flag had been painted across main pathways beneath the bridge.The aerial division of the interchange is covered with a banner of an educational institution announcing its open day ceremony.

Bleed of filth

At the Mallam Interchange it is an eyesore as people have rather used wide sections of the overpass for advertising.

The flyover was whitewashed with posters of movies, churches, politicians, night clubs, spiritualists, among others.

Concrete pillars supporting the flyover have not been spared, as posting of notices have virtually deprived the facility of its purpose. Many posters of religious organisations and other institutions have made the overpass a filthy place.

Law

The indiscriminate posting of notices is inconsistent with the AMA’s Premises Maintenance Bye-Law of 1995 Section 76 of the Local Government Act, 1993 (Act 465).