Ola fishermen cry over lack of premix fuel
Executive chairman of the National Premix Fuel Committee, Dennis Percyval Quaicoe
Correspondence from Central Region
Read full articleFishermen in the Ola community of the Cape Coast Metropolis have lamented over the lack of premix fuel for fishing. Ola is one of the fishing communities in the Central Regional Capital located under the Cape Coast North Constituency.
Although not all the residents of the community are into the fishing business, quite a number of the men are fishermen.
Thus, fishing is the job they do to take care of their families. It is the business they engage in to cater to the basic needs of their families.
However, the current happenings at the shore are not helping their business in any way and in the long run, rendering them incapable of taking care of their families.
In an interaction with some of the fishermen at the Ola seashore, they mentioned that of late, getting premix fuel for fishing has become a major challenge for them.
They lament that premix fuel has become very scarce so they do not often get some to apply their trade. Due to that, they are able to go to work sometimes once or twice in two weeks.
According to Nana Obuor, “We are pleading with the government to make the premix available for us. This is the job we do to cater for our families and so we struggle without the premix fuel.”
Mr. Nana Duah also said, “Just like my brother earlier mentioned, all that we are waiting for is the premix fuel. Our work becomes easier when the fuel is available! This is what we do to cater for the education of our children therefore, we appeal to President Nana Akufo-Addo and his government to come to our aid.”
Information gathered reveals that the scarcity of premix fuel has resulted in a black market where they sometimes have to buy it at exorbitant prices. In addition, they mentioned the role of politics in their inability to get enough fuel for their work.
They alleged that because it is the NPP government in power, the NPP supporters who are fishermen are favoured ahead of the NDC members and other political party supporters.
They, therefore, pleaded with the government and all authorities concerned to come to their aid and make the premix fuel available for all.
