On Monday, October 31, chiefs and people of Nyamekrom, a suburb of the New Juaben South Municipality in the Eastern region, closed a bypass road to the village in a show of protest about the neighborhood’s deteriorating road.
Due to the congestion, there was a lot of traffic because stalled cars included private, commercial, and school buses.
After the protest had been going on for an hour, the road could only be cleared with the help of the armed police.
The protesters charged Vice President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia and Member of Parliament for New Juaben South Michael Okyere Baafi with misleading them on October 27, 2020, with a night sod-cutting under the pretense of swiftly awarding the road to a contract for development.
The 10.5 kilometers of road were supposed to be finished in 18 months.
However, two years after the sod-cutting, the road has been abandoned.
The deplorable condition of the road continues to worsen by the heavy downpour.
The concrete bridge reconstructed on the road has been washed away making it not motorable hence a bypass has been created for use by vehicles to and fro the community.
Due to the circumstance, the few commercial vehicles that commute to the Nyamekrom village and its neighboring farming towns must charge expensive transportation rates.
Desmond Ameyaw, the protesters’ organizer, claimed in a statement to the media that the community’s inadequate road is impeding development and increasing the terrible living conditions of its residents, particularly farmers and drivers.
“We the concerned citizens of Nyamekrom in Koforidua write to express our grievance and disappointment in your government for failing to honour your campaign promises as far as our road is concerned. The present Member of Parliament Hon. Michael Okyere Baafi in his campaign promises assured that the good people of Nyamekrom if we vote for him and he comes to power he will lobby for the road to be constructed. After mounting pressure on the MP and the MCE we were made to understand that this road has been awarded to Cocobod and categorized as cocoa road for construction but it seems that all the above are becoming a nine-day wonder.”
The convener also claimed “due to the deplorable nature of our roads our pregnant women lose their lives, and unborn children. The road has caused so many miscarriages and stillbirths.”
This was supported by some ladies who said that the bad road caused them to experience pregnancy difficulties.
The sole alternative route to Suhum, according to the Regent of Nyamekrom Augustine Afum Ohene and other locals, served its function recently when the Suhum to Koforidua road was flooded, thus it needs to receive the necessary attention.
Enock Boahene, the Assembly representative for Nyamekrom, claimed that he was under threat from his constituents because he kept repeating the MP’s broken promises to them whenever they tried to demonstrate.
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