Agbogbloshie Demolition: Henry Quartey has not been honest with us – Assemblyman

The Assemblyman of Amamomo Electoral Area, Ziyad Musah, has expressed disappointment in the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey, following the demolition exercise at the Agbogbloshie market yesterday.

Musah Ziyad is of the view that the Minister was not honest with the people of the market as he explained that scrap dealers lost their properties to a demolition exercise that they were not informed about.

The Assemblyman, during an interview with Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show expressed: “The minister failed in his attempt at engaging the people yesterday. In fact, if you followed the news items concerning the demolition exercise that went on yesterday, the news item has been that they were going to decongest the onion market. In fact, for the past one or two months that the minister has been speaking, it has always been about the onion markets. It was only yesterday that we got there and realized that after decongesting the onion market he had added the land of the scrap dealers”.

Musah made clear that while the scrap dealers were not against the demolition exercise, they were saddened by how matters turned out.

“Inasmuch as we agree with his tenacity to make Accra a better place, demolishing the scraps yard, which was not a part of decongestion exercise to us, was a smack of dishonesty on the part of the minister”.

The government with assistance from security officers embarked on the demolition of structures at the Agbogbloshie market on Thursday, July 1, 2021, after the relocation of the onion traders to Adjen Kotoku.

However, the clearing of the Agbogbloshie market wasn’t without controversy as some scrap dealers at the Agbogbloshie market in Accra said they didn’t know they were part of persons directed to relocate to Adjen Kotoku near Medie in the Ga West Municipality.

According to them, their shops have been demolished, contrary to earlier communications that they would not be affected.

But, Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey has denied claims by some scrap dealers affected by the demolition exercise in the area that they did not get the right information concerning the evacuation.

“We were clear in our negotiations and our dealings. If you recall, even the monies that we gave, I mentioned a GHS50,000 portion to the scrap dealers, so they are aware. They were thinking they could have their way around, but as we are saying, apart from this building and one other, everything thing is going down. Scrap dealers have the opportunity now to move their things, if not, we will move them. We are not leaving anything here.”

Meanwhile, onion traders began their business at the Adjen Kotoku Market in the Ga West Municipality on Thursday, July 1, 2021, as part of efforts to decongest some areas of the capital city.

By: Alberta Dorcas N D Armah