The First Deputy Minority Whip in Parliament, Ahmed Ibrahim, has asserted that the failure of the state in managing disasters has resulted from the reduction of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to a political wing by successive governments.
The lawmaker noted that, according to its specifications, NADMO should have been comprised of experts capable of managing disasters. However, the organisation has been utilized as a tool for the distribution of political relief items.
Speaking to journalists after the presentation of relief items by the Lashibi Prayer Camp to some Members of Parliament from constituencies affected by the Akosombo dam spillage, Ahmed Ibrahim mentions that some districts have been neglected in the relief efforts.
“That is why we said, if people have donated to the epicentre to the point that the place has become saturated, we must consider the neglected districts as well. In zeroing in on the neglected, you cannot focus on only one district. We selected 2 from the Volta Region, 1 from Eastern, 1 from Greater Accra, and one from the Bono East Region.
He added, “When NADMO started, it was under the Ministry of Interior. So, by its specification, NADMO should have been an organization of experts capable of managing disasters. However, NADMO was reduced to a political wing distributing political relief items. That is why, as a country, we always fail in managing disasters. If you go to the military, they have 48 engineers who are responsible for managing disasters.”