The host of Good Morning Ghana on Metro TV, Dr Randy Abbey has rebuffed attempts by persons in officialdom to pushback against calls for accountability over the effects of the recent Akosombo Dam spillage.
According to Dr Abbey, the entire episode smacked of lack of planning and proper assessment on the impact it was going to have on communities as well as the case of gross irresponsibility on the part of officials.
“You are not even thinking about the health facilities, the educational facilities; If we are going to spill such volumes of water what is going to happen. The effect on education, the effect on health.
"It does not occur to anybody that this has serious health implications for the country itself and not just about a few people? This are not just about squatters; it is about legal settlements and institutions and people and the survival of people and all that. Where did common sense travel to?” he questioned on the Wednesday, November 1, 2023, edition of his show.
Abbey was having an exchange with former lawmaker Titus Glover over the incident when he made the remarks, often telling his guest to allow him to conclude his point.
VRA on September 15, 2023, commenced the spilling of excess water from the Akosombo Dam which led to several communities along the Volta River being submerged and hundreds of residents displaced.
Speaking on his show, Randy Abbey rejected claims that criticism directed at VRA and the government was a blame game but rather a call for responsibility.
“I don’t think it’s a blame game, I think that it is a call for responsibility, because you see, if you want to avert a recurrence, one of the best ways of averting a recurrence is to actually find out what happened and hold people responsible," he stressed.
He noted that there is a likelihood of a similar situation occurring again in the future if the people responsible are not held to account.
Why this issue is going to come up is that you have a push back from officialdom, a pushback from officialdom who are creating the impression that "we did the right thing; we did what we had to do. It is the people who were stubborn, they didn’t listen; they are the reason why we are where we are.
“So there is a certain pushback. A minister of state is telling us that the people refused to move and as a result of that even drinking water has been contaminated and it's even going to cost the country more to treat this water.
“So there is a certain pushback. You put yourself in the shoes of those who have been affected by this. When they watch or see these things, how would they feel?” he questioned.
The resulting flood from the dam spillage has led to thousands of residents losing their homes and livelihoods.
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Host of Good Morning Ghana, Dr. Randy Abbey