Kofi Bentil, Vice President of IMANI Africa, has strongly criticized the government’s handling of the Akosombo Dam spillage, deeming it both unserious and a knee-jerk reaction.
Speaking during a panel discussion on the theme “Building Resilience: A Socio-Economic Response to Natural Disasters” at the Africa Leadership Initiative West Africa (ALIWA), Mr. Bentil expressed disappointment in the government’s insufficient and poorly planned response to address the immediate concerns of affected residents.
Mr. Bentil commended the coordinated efforts of Citi FM and Citi TV in providing relief and implementing long-term solutions to heavily affected areas in the Lower Volta Area.
However, he underscored that such responses should not solely rely on charitable initiatives, emphasizing the need for a robust and coordinated national-level approach.
“I am still shocked that we have a disaster of that nature and there was no serious government response; what we saw was not serious. Look, Citi FM has done a yeoman’s job, but is that their responsibility? When you have a disaster of that magnitude, it is not charity that solves the problem.”
“At a national level, what I saw was an ad-hoc arrangement. Where is NADMO? Where is the Ministry of Interior? Where is the State in dealing with this in a way that is not ad-hoc or knee-jerk? Don’t we have systems in place that can take care of this? I am saying this because we are due for a major earthquake, and if we cannot deal with this, then God help us all.”
Highlighting the urgency of the situation, Mr. Bentil urged Parliament to conduct a thorough probe into the spillage.
He emphasized that the flooding was not a natural disaster but a result of deliberate actions, where someone initiated the release of water despite the awareness of people downstream.
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