Some residents of Agbogbloshie in Accra are pleading with the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to postpone a planned demolition exercise in the area.
According to them, they received an evacuation notice from the AMA two days ago to make room for dredging works in the Korle Lagoon which will affect some of their structures.
But speaking to Citi News, the residents said this will not be possible because they will have nowhere to stay for the rest of the lock-down period.
“We want them to give us some time…Because of the pandemic, we cannot move to our hometown. We are also not working, and so if they carry on with the exercise, a lot of us will be rendered homeless because we don’t know where to move our things to. So we are pleading with the government, we are pleading with the authorities, and we are pleading with whoever is in charge of this to please give us some time so that we can arrange with our leaders to know how we will all be moved and accommodated.”
Some residents of the Bimbilla Station urged government to consider undertaking the exercise after the coronavirus pandemic has been brought under control.
“At this juncture, we are observing the lockdown and nobody is supposed to go anywhere. So all the people over here are in their rooms or sitting in front of their rooms. Now that they say our structures are going to be demolished, my fear is that where will all these people stay? So we are pleading that they should put a human face to whatever they want to do. We are not stopping them from whatever they want to do, but at this particular crucial moment they should consider us and let the pandemic end before they do anything”.
Lockdown period
Following the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus in the country, President Nana Akufo-Addo on March, 28 2020, announced a two-week partial lockdown of the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area including Tema and Kasoa, as well as the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area in order to curtail the spread of the disease.
However, government has extended the partial lockdown by one more week. The extension, which takes effect from Monday, April 13, 2020, will be subject to review.
“The decision has been taken through the issuance of another executive instrument to extend the restriction of movements in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area and Kasoa and the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area and its contiguous districts by one more week beginning 1am on Monday the 13th of April, subject to review,” the President said in a televised address on April 9th 2020.