As torrential rains battered Accra, leaving over a dozen dead and tens of thousands of families displaced, the city’s heartbreak quickly turned into a political battleground. Among the most outspoken voices was Hajia Charity Rahinatu Asoemah, Deputy Director General in charge of Stores at NADMO, who condemned what she called a legacy of neglect and corruption that led to the catastrophe.
Standing amid devastated communities and overwhelmed rescue workers, Hajia Charity did not mince words. “This flooding is not just a natural disaster; it’s the direct result of failed leadership and abandoned promises,” she declared to gathered to Apexnewsgh. According to her, the previous administration received substantial World Bank funding specifically earmarked for desilting and constructing drainage along the Odur River—a project that could have averted the disaster.
“Ask Cecilia Dapaah what she did with the World Bank money,” Hajia Charity challenged, referring to the former Minister for Sanitation. “If those funds had been used as intended, we wouldn’t be facing such destruction and loss today.”
Her frustration extended to Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the former Vice President and now presidential candidate for the New Patriotic Party. As Dr. Bawumia arrived to console victims, Hajia Charity called him out for not using his office to demand accountability when the funds were disbursed. “Instead of crying foul now, Dr. Bawumia should have tackled corruption when he had the chance,” she admonished. “The innocent people of Accra are suffering because leaders failed to act.”
The streets, now rivers of mud and debris, became the stage for a fierce debate over responsibility. Critics argued that the NPP government’s failure to act on the Odur River project was not a mere oversight but a deliberate betrayal. “They had a singular responsibility to protect our city, and they chose to do nothing,” Hajia Charity insisted, gesturing toward the overflowing waterway.
Public anger swelled as residents and journalists pressed for answers about the World Bank funds. The absence of visible progress along the Odur River fueled suspicions of mismanagement or misappropriation of donor resources. The question echoed from one flooded neighborhood to the next: if the money was released and agreements signed, where did it all go?
Amid the storm of accusations, Dr. Bawumia opted for a conciliatory tone. He urged Ghanaians to unite beyond political lines, calling for President John Dramani Mahama to assemble a multi-partisan panel of experts to craft a lasting solution to the capital’s flooding woes. “Floods do not care about party colors—they devastate all Ghanaians alike,” Dr. Bawumia said, sidestepping direct engagement with the allegations.
But for Hajia Charity and many ordinary citizens, technical solutions must go hand in hand with accountability. “We cannot build a safer future on a foundation of distrust,” she warned. As families sought refuge in schools and churches, the city’s wounds remained raw, and the most pressing question lingered in every conversation: with all the funds and promises, why does Accra still drown in preventable disaster?
Source: Apexnewsgh.com