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A group calling itself Mepe Development Association (MDA) in the Volta Region is demanding an unqualified apology from the Minster for Sanitation and Water Resources, Freda Prempeh for deepening their woes amid the Akosombo Dam Spillage.
The minister on Monday, October 23, 2023, said the damage inflicted on residents of some parts of Volta Region could have been minimised if the residents had agreed to evacuate from the area.
The MDA which described itself as an administrative organ of Mepe in charge of social and developmental issues has condemned the comments made by the minister.
“Can the Minister tell the nation which part(s) of the Mepe traditional area the Volta River Authority (VRA) and the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) conducted the so-called simulation exercise before the spillage?
“How many people from Mepe were included in the said simulation exercise? How many times was the simulation exercise conducted, and how extensive was the community engagement?” they asked in a press release available to Angelonline.com.gh
They therefore called on “the minister to, unreservedly and immediately, apologise to the Chiefs and people of Mepe for her misspoke and unfortunate comments.”
The group stated unequivocally that the Mepe Traditional Council, Mepe Development Association, opinion leaders, and all key stakeholders were not engaged during the saidsimulation exercise by the Volta or post-simulation exercise as claimed by the Minister.
“There were no official temporary shelter facilities provided by the state for the people in the event of an evacuation. It was the leadership of the MDA, in consultation with the Chiefs, that took the initiative to create seven makeshift safe havens for the affected flood victims.”
The press statement signed by Kojo Mawulenu Fabian, Chairman of MDA called on the minister and all well-meaning Ghanaians to desist from taking advantage of the occurrence to speak ill about them.
“We are still grieving and emotionally distraught. All we request is respect for our sensitivity and dignity during these challenging times in our history. We urge all state appointees and communicators to refrain from making ill-informed and uneducated comments that blame the flood victims for this state-created disaster.
“The state must acknowledge its role and take responsibility for the mess it has created, showing remorse and empathy toward the affected communities,” they said,
The Mepe Development Association also entreated all and sundry to refrain from exacerbating the pain of the people, the poor and the vulnerable at large through actions and inactions.
