Traders, commercial drivers and truck drivers, numbering over three thousand who ply their trade at the Western regional market and lorry station at the Agbogbloshie Market in Accra are on verge of loosing their sources of livelihood.
This is because the market is allegedly being taken over by the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for the construction of hostels and toilets for head porters (Kayayie) in Accra.
Currently, digging of the foundation is ongoing on more than half of the land for the commencement of the project.
The traders and drivers say they have lived on that parcel of land for over 40-years now, only for them to come to work on Monday to realise their properties on the land have been destroyed.
Five vehicles that were stationed on the land at the time of the operation were towed to the office of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA).
The drivers say they had to pay Five thousand Ghana cedis (GHc5,000) each before their vehicles were released to them. They had no option than to call on two of their Members of Parliaments, Dorcas Afo Toffey for Jomoro and Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah for Elembelle for assistance.
At a meeting with the traders and drivers in Accra, Madam Afo Toffey explained that when she had the call on their ejection without notification, she called the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey who denied knowledge of the ejection.
She said the Minister told her the place does not fall under his jurisdiction, but rather the Mayor of Accra, Elizabeth Sackey. She assured them of a relocation even if the land is taken from them.
“What the government wants to do by building a hostel and toilet on the land is not a bad idea, but not given prior notice and no relocation plan for the drivers and traders is the challenge,” Madam Afo Toffey said in Twi.
She noted the exercise will affect the over 2,000 women who trade there to cater for their families.
“If the government is doing such things for the Kayayei, then traders and drivers also need a befitting place to do their business and not to push them away,” she said.
She promised to meet the Mayor of Accra for an amicable resolution of the issue.
A retired Army officer, Brigadier-General Nana Adu who is also a truck owner operating on the station said he does not understand why the government must take such as action. He admitted that the government can take the land for such development but taking it with force is not the right way.
He said there should have been an engagement for an amicable takeover of the place rather than what happened.
“We know the army and the police are controlled by the government and so the moment these people came to take over the place for the construction of the project, we are convinced the government has a hand in it,” he noted.
National Secretary for Coconut Oil Dealers Association, Joshua Abolor, called for injunction on the project until the determination of the matter.
Chairman of the Drivers Union who gave his name as Life explained that the station receives trucks from Ivory Coast and Nigeria with goods and as such taking over the place would affect such businesses.
They called on the President and Vice to consider the livelihood of those who trade there.
By Kweku Antwi-Otoo|OnuaTV|Onuaonline.com
