Former Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Ade Coker, has criticized Kumasi Mayor Richard Boadi over his decision to lash traders who defy the ban on selling on pavements and roadsides.
He has asserted that nobody or member of NDC will support such a move to inflict pain on people.
“Lashing people won’t work. No NDC person will support him and I have heard that he has revised his notes. Then he can’t be a leader. You must find ways of creating jobs so people can clean the place at night and that is part of the 24 hours we are talking about,” Ade Coker urged.
King Zuba, as he is popularly known, announced a decongestion exercise on Monday, April 14, 2025, aimed at clearing traders from pavements and roadsides.
Mr. Boadi gave traders a two-week deadline to cease their activities, cautioning that defiant traders would face serious consequences, including physical discipline.
He explained that traditional methods such as confiscating goods and arrests have not been effective, leading him to adopt a more direct approach.
Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show, Mr. Coker acknowledged that Mr. Boadi may have the goodwill to address sanitation challenges in Kumasi, but he criticized him for going too far with his pronouncement.
“He had an idea, but he went beyond. I don’t think that is the character of the person who appointed him. You should look at your leader. The demeanor of your leader and work accordingly. Your leader is not reckless so you can’t be reckless,” he stated.
Ade Coker stressed that Mr. Boadi must resort to creative ways to solve challenges.
“He should build markets for them. We want to see him building the central market and rehabilitating the place and making sure there are other satellite markets where people can go and trade. These ad-hoc measures have not been of help to us in this 21st century. Go to other countries, and you can even sleep in their markets. So I disagree with what he intended to do. If I had his phone number, I would have called him and told him you don’t sit on national television and say this,” he suggested.
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