Don’t compel me to sue – Ablakwa slams government, VRA over neglect of dam spillage victims

The Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has issued a stern warning to the government and the Volta River Authority (VRA), threatening legal action if swift measures are not taken within weeks to construct resettlement facilities for victims of the Akosombo Dam spillage.

In an interview with Citi News on Thursday, December 21, 2023, the MP expressed deep concern over the perceived inaction of the government, emphasizing the distress faced by thousands of affected individuals months after the floods.

“What we need now really are these housing units that we are constructing. The VRA should also be constructing. If they can construct a few hundred for people, it will help.

"The VRA and the central government must acknowledge that there is a reason people pay taxes, there is a reason we have the contingency vote. It is for emergencies of this kind.

“And I must be honest with you, I haven’t been pleased at all. The neglect has been unconscionable. Public officials must know that they owe a duty of care, and they are not doing anybody a favour. It is an obligation, it is a must.

"So, wherever they are, let’s just be kind to them and say that probably they are mobilising. They are just keeping too long in the mobilisation. They should hurry up and come back and get to work and resettle our people.

“The people deserve their houses back; they deserve to be compensated, and I hope that they don’t compel me to initiate a class action in court. Because at some point we can’t continue any longer with the private initiatives.

“And if we see that the government is still negligent and derelict, we will have to commence legal action. A class action to compel the government to do the right thing. I hope that we don’t have to get there,” he said.

Thousands of residents within constituencies along the Volta Lake were displaced following a spillage of the Akosombo Dam by the Volta River Authority in September.

Some of the victims who have since lost their homes remain without decent accommodation.

GA/SARA

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