Government urged to live up to promise

to support families of May 9 victims

Wednesday, May 9 2012 will be exactly 11 years since the disaster that took the lives of 126 soccer fans occurred at the then Ohene Djan Sports Stadium in Accra, when confusion erupted amongst supporters of the two most glamorous clubs during a league match, which Hearts of Oak won by 2-1.

The disaster, which was seen as unprecedented in the annals of African football, shook the nation and the entire global football fraternity.

11 years down the lane, family members and victims of the disaster continue to survive on the benevolence of well wishers with very little support coming from the government.

Hearts of Oak Management member and the Vice Chairman of National Chapters Committee (NCC), Abdul Azziz Haruna Futa, who was at the stadium that fateful day has begrudged subsequent governments for failing to support bereaved families; especially children.

According to Azizz, the then government promised to support victims by sponsoring their children up to the university level. To him, supporting victims of the disaster goes beyond lying of wreaths every year to remember the fallen heroes.

³I have a problem with the government concerning sponsorship, as am talking to you, a former Chapter O chairman¹s son is in school and hardly can he pay his school fees, I personally have to assist the boy to go to school. The school he is going is not even a proper school² he said.

Adding, ³have they (the Government) gone to where these children are schooling to even check on them, whether they attend the school or not? What is the Government doing to help these children? Is it that every year they will go and lay wreaths at the monument to show that they are doing something to help family members of the people that lost their lives?²

³The government is not doing anything, for me they are not doing anything,² he lamented.

Abdul-Azziz Haruna Futah who was convinced there was enough money to cater for the victims asked where the money set up in bank account purposely to cater for the innocent children who lost their parent at the stadium had gone to.

³I know there is some money somewhere, so why are they not helping the children².

³Last year I was a member of the May 9th organizing committee, and I asked about this money issue but nothing was said²

³They told us they are looking after some of the children and whether they are in the university level or Secondary level, I don¹t know. We need to know because the money belongs to these children, those poor children must be catered for. Those children who lost their parents at the stadium have the right to go to good schools. The money belongs to them. ² he said.

Azizz on the contrary lauded former Kumasi Asante Kotoko Chairman, Herbert Mensah and Hearts of Oak management member Alhaji Hearts for their kind gesture to bereaved families for the past eleven year.

Herbert Mensah has played a pivotal role in supporting families of the victims, and this Azzis said, ³nobody can question what Herbert Mensah is doing for May 9. Whenever Chapter O is having a May 9 meeting at Nima, he (Herbert) attends, he makes sure he helps the programme and also provides logistics that will be needed².

Story by King Ambrose Eward Addo/ Xfm 95.1/ Accra/ Ghana