Hundreds of inhabitants within Pekyi Number One and Pekyi Number Two in the Amansie West District of the Ashanti Region have protested against the government over the poor road network within their area.
They have vowed to embark on more protests to compel authorities to fix their roads, since they say the situation is making life unbearable for them.
one of the leaders of the demonstration who doubles as the assembly member for Pekyi Number One, Kusi Obuadum William, attributed “rampant” armed robbery cases and accidents in the area to the terrible state of their roads.
“Recently, the government came out to say that 10,875 kilometres of roads have been constructed within Ghana. When you come to Amansie West District, that is Manso Nkwanta Constituency, particularly within Pekyi and its environs, none has been constructed here. Are we not part of Ghana?”
“Recently, the government came out to say that 10,875 kilometres of roads have been constructed within Ghana. When you come to Amansie West District, that is Manso Nkwanta Constituency, particularly within Pekyi and its environs, none has been constructed here. Are we not part of Ghana?”
“A lot of accidents are happening on our roads. Now, the pathetic thing is, if somebody buys a new car, it becomes very difficult for the person to even use it on our roads because if you use it for a week, the car will break down. Notwithstanding that, a lot of crimes have been happening here, armed robbers have been attacking us because of the poor nature of our roads. We are therefore calling on the government to come to our aid now”.
According to the residents, despite numerous assurances by successive governments, their roads have remained in a deplorable state.
“We also want our fair share of the national cake. We are frustrated about the dusty nature of our roads. All the politicians have not been able to fulfil their promises by ensuring that our roads are fixed. All that we want is for our roads to be constructed,” a protestor, lamented.
“Although I am not well, I am worried about the dusty nature of the road, so I decided to join this demonstration. We are appealing to Nana Akufo-Addo to help fix our roads for us,” another protestor, stated.
The residents have thus threatened not to vote in subsequent general elections if their roads are not fixed.
“We have always been voting, but we don’t seem to enjoy its benefits. I was even a polling agent during the last election. I was praying for Nana Addo to win. I am on my knees, I am begging him to ensure our roads are constructed. If our roads are not constructed, we will not be voting in 2024. We won’t even allow them to bring ballot boxes here,” a resident, Emmanuel Kwame Okyere stated.
The Chiefs within the area say numerous attempts to get stakeholders such as the Ashanti regional minister, District Chief Executive for the area, and the Roads and Highways minister to address their concerns have proven futile.
Nana Agyenim Boateng, Mawrehene of Pekyi Number two, who spoke on behalf of the traditional leaders in the area, said the demonstration was a result of the authorities’ failure to provide them with concrete timelines for fixing their roads.
“We first approached the District Chief Executive for Amansie West. We also went to the Ashanti Regional Minister before going to the Minister of Roads and Highways. We have gone through all these processes. About a week ago, the Road’s Minister came to the Ashanti Region where traditional authorities here and the assembly members went to meet him, but it was unsuccessful. That is even why we decided to embark on this demonstration. The MP even asked the roads minister. We realized that we have not been captured in the budget. Should we embark on demonstrations before government addresses our concerns? Why have other neighboring communities had their fair share, whereas we have been shortchanged?”
“It means the people have to stop voting, since they won’t vote for the NDC. Although I am a chief, I am an NPP member. I am even a government appointee at the district assembly, but we have to say the truth”.
