Residents along the stretch have been agitating for footbridges to be fixed on the N4 highway after they claimed close to 190 pedestrians have been knocked down by speeding vehicles; a figure the Police have disputed.
The killing of a 19-year old female student from the West Africa Senior High School, WASS, last Thursday, led to a massive protest where the residents burnt tyres and blocked cars from using the road.
A day after the protest, the streetlights on the highway were fixed.
Speaking on Citi FM/Citi TV’s news analysis programme, The Big Issue on Saturday, the assembly member for Gbentanaa insisted that those whose duty it was to have the streetlights and others including the footbridges fixed but failed to do so must tender in their resignation letters.
“It’s been ten years of complaints, ten years of trying to get our authorities to fix these things for us…people are trying to push all the blame on government – the Minister for Roads and Highways, Minister for Transport, Interior Ministry and as well even the president himself. President Akufo-Addo and the highways minister have put certain technocrats in charge of these things. Don’t we have the highways authority CEO?”
“Must it take the Minister of Highways to come and fix streetlights?
Technocrats who are supposed to make sure certain elementary things are done hide behind negligence and then we push the blame on government. For Christ sake, just after 24 hours after the incident happened, our streetlights are working…those behind this must resign,” Kwesi Acquah added on The Big Issue.
Some members of the two neighbouring communities held a vigil on Friday night in memory of those who have perished on the highway.
They held candles and sang solemn songs as they walked on sections of the road.
Work to begin on Madina-Adentan footbridges next week
After the protest, the government subsequently announced that work will commence on the uncompleted footbridges on the Madina-Adenta highway from next week to forestall further fatalities on that route.
“Work is to be done on an accelerated basis with multiple contractors to ensure quick completion,” a statement from the inter-ministerial Committee on Roads and Highways, Transport and Interior stated.
The statement added that “this is in accordance with already commenced processes prior to the unfortunate incident that occurred on Thursday.”
Madina-Adentan road death ‘an unnecessary loss’ – Nana Addo
President Nana Akufo-Addo also issued a statement extending his condolences to the family of the latest victim of a road accident on the Madina-Adenta highway.
The President described the death as “an unnecessary loss.” Read Full Story
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