Youth caution government over deplorable state of Nima-Mamobi community

A group calling itself the Concerned Youth of Ayawaso today held a press conference to register its displeasure at the deplorable state of infrastructure and other social amenities in the community.

The coordinator of the group, Tawfik Prah Meekail,  has stated that to judge how far the government has helped Ayawaso and its environs is like looking for a needle in a haystack because  residents cannot point to any project the government is undertaking in the community.

He said the paramount interest of the communities of Nima-Mamobi supersedes any interest anyone could ascribe to their intention of holding the government accountable to the people of Ayawaso.

“We would like to emphasise without any malice that this is not about party politics but about our fundamental human rights and ultimately nation building."

Meekail highlighted some key infrastructures which he said needed critical attention from the government and stakeholders, especially the sub-metro and the member of parliament whose domain falls within the community.

He said. for example, the drainage system which runs from Kawokudi junction through Nima-Mamobi down to asylum down has created a state of panic and fear among residents, especially when there is a heavy downpour.

Meekail said many aspiring members of parliament have made promises to construct these drains but never fulfil their promise when they get the mandate.

He added that the phenomenon of making promises during electioneering campaign and not fulfilling them will not be countenanced any more as they feel they have been taken for granted for so many years now.

According to him concrete electricity poles need to be replaced since they have been in existence for about four decades .

“Our check indicates that all concrete poles within the capital city have been replaced with steel poles. Promises to replace the collapsing electricity poles by government representatives and the sub-metro by June 2014 never saw the light of day."

He therefore called on government to charge the appropriate institutions to rectify this situation or face a revolt from the youths in the coming months.

On public toilets and sanitation, Meekail said the drainage systems are constantly choked with rubbish and the placement of waste bins close to the market centres causes a menace due to lack of routine disposal.

“The poor sanitation system and accompanying factors above have influenced the outbreak of the deadly cholera and other communicable diseases within the past months in the communities which have claimed the lives of residents due to unhygienic environments”.

On the relationship between the youth and the police, he acknowledged the uneasy relationship between the police and youth of Nima-Mamobi. 

Meekail however appealed to the police to be fair in their application of law in dealing with issues concerning the youth of the communities.

He cited the alleged shooting of a taxi driver which resulted in the vandalism of the Mamobi branch of Marwako restaurant as an example.

Calling all these issues into focus, he said as concerned citizens of Ayawaso, it was imperative to find out what the sub-metro or member of parliament within Ayawso were doing to improve development in the area.

Meekail cautioned the government and other stakeholders to take the concerns of the youth seriously, saying the days of using them to serve their political interests were over.