Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah has asked petty traders in the Kumasi metropolisto venture into the sale of cocaine if they cannot withstand the economic hardship in the country.
He said traders who are using economic hardship as an excuse to sell at unauthorised places must rethink their decision because persons who break the law will face the law.
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Simon Osei Mensah who is worried about the level of indiscipline in the metropolis lamented how the attitude of some residents was affecting the city’s development.
The Minister is unhappy with the refusal of some petty traders to vacate from pavements and footbridges after they were asked to relocate to designated market places to continue with their trade.
According to him, some traders have been defying orders by city authorities in the name of their affiliation to the ruling party.
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The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) recently asked all traders selling on pavements and other unauthorized places to relocate to designated markets.
Some of the traders have defied the orders and are back on the pavements to trade.
Mr Osei Mensah, speaking at an event to re-launch of Keep Kumasi Clean and Green project warned that city authorities would forcefully eject petty traders who sell on pavements at the Suame roundabout and the footbridge at the Central Business District (CBD) as well as other unauthorised locations.
He indicated that the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Government was not voted into office to allow sympathisers and supporters of the party flout the laws of the country.
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“The indiscipline is too much. I want to use this opportunity to caution traders who are defying orders to vacate from the pavements around the Suame roundabout. We have previously told them to relocate in a peaceful manner, but if they refuse to relocate, we will eject them forcefully. Those traders who are also selling on the footbridge at the CBD must also vacate because the footbridge is not a place for trading activities. We are not interested in collapsing anybody’s business. When we eject them, they will start saying they voted for us to come into power. We have been voted to bring development and not to encourage lawlessness and indiscipline,” he said.
He appealed to residents in the metropolis to help city authorities to bring the needed development to the region.
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He maintained that the pavements and the footbridges meant for commuters and not for trading purposes.
“When we start enforcing the laws, people will be complaining of hardship. If there is hardship, then I will ask that you stop the business and go and sell cocaine for a living”, he added.
The Minister emphasised that Ghana was not a lawlessness country and authorities will continue to enforce the laws no matter the resistance from the residents.