The Chairman of Parliament’s Assurance Committee is disappointed with Housing Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah’s approach during his appearance before the committee.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa insisted that the attitude demonstrated by the Minister regarding some relief measures after the Akosombo Dam spillage disaster was unsatisfactory.
“How can a whole government, for a year, people are living in tents and Ministers think that this is a matter that we should take lightly? I mean the whole posture is totally wrong.”
He made these remarks on Joy FM’s Newsnite on Wednesday, August 28.
“Already your response is so late, your contractors arrive, they have missed deadlines and then you are telling us that within the next 14 days you hope to… He was being evasive. He didn’t want to speak to the lack of urgency, the poor response, we are not going to take that at this committee. We will not accept that,” he added.
Earlier today, tempers flared up between the two legislators during the sitting.
Mr Ablakwa was questioning the Minister about what he described as the government’s poor attitude toward addressing the suffering of those displaced by the spillage of the Akosombo Dam.
“This is not a matter that we reduce to political football, deflection, red herrings as you are trying to do today. Its been a year. People are living in distress, people are devastated. Your contractors, after their late arrival, are even behind schedule.”
“When can this committee see your ministry priotitising the plight of the victims of the VRA spillage?” he quizzzed.
However, Mr Oppong Nkrumah took offence to the Chairman’s posture.
“If we are being sincere you have been one of the people that has been whipping up the impression that somebody doesn’t care,” he said regarding military deployment undertaken during the spillage.
As the tension rose, Mr Ablakwa retorted that “this is my committee, you don’t come here and dictate. I am the chair of this committee.”
But Kojo Oppong Nkrumah further pushed back, insisting that this was not the case, leading to a heated exchange between the two.
Speaking to Emefa Apawu, the North Tongu legislator hinted that he is preparing to bring the issue to the floor for further deliberation through its report to the plenary.
“We’re going to have a debate on the floor about this matter and our committee will ask for a new approach, a new attitude, a response from government,” he said on Joy FM.
According to him, a year is too much time for the Housing Ministry to offer excuses as to why contractors have not completed projects meant to alleviate the plight of the affected communities.
Source: Myjoyonline.com