I had left Kumasi late on Monday, June 1, 2015, after spending a few weeks with my sister after school, and arrived in Accra at 2 am on June 2.
The next night, the infamous disaster occurred which I narrowly escaped. My friend, King-Midas Amoateng, –may his soul rest in peace –later shared that he’d assumed I’d perished with others, given my sudden silence on our campus debate page –KNUST Debate Society (KDS) –after announcing my trip.
When I finally reconnected on June 5, he was happy to hear from me. If I had been a victim, I would’ve qualified for support, but considering the delays and difficulties many victims have encountered a decade on, I doubt I would’ve gotten anything yet.
Three years ago, I published an article on the June 3 disaster titled: “7 years on after June 3 disaster; we said ‘never again’ yet again we are dying”. There’s no need to highlight how our cities still flood with the slightest rain. Those over 40 years might attribute the flooding to isolated indiscipline, such as building on waterways and indiscriminate waste disposal clogging drains.
However, a 1960 Daily Graphic publication titled: “When the rains came to Accra”, which has been resurfacing every rainy season for some time now, showed that flooding was a problem even then, when Ghana’s population was 6.7 million and Accra’s was approximately 393,000. Given the same land size but increased population, can we truly attribute recent floods to population size and human behaviour?
Accra, a lowland area surrounded by the Shai and Aburi Hills, experiences flooding in certain parts during heavy rainfall. It’s expected that leaders, entrusted with power to represent the people, would provide solutions to this problem.
However, almost every year, heavy rains cause the banks to burst and the city to flood. Despite numerous promises from duty-bearers to resolve the issue, the problem persists decades after. Many can attest to the promises from politicians across the divide to address flooding, yet we continue to face disaster year after year. Contrary to the notion that empty promises are unique to the current political class, history shows that in Ghana, it’s often the times that change, not the people.
I found a post from Saddick Obama two years ago on the internet, expressing his frustration with leadership promises without action. He noted that in April 1960, promises were made about fast train services and Accra flooding solutions, but over six decades later, none of these materialised. He ended with the Twi phrase “Yagyimi fri tete”, which translates to “we’ve been fools since time immemorial.”
What this tells us is that Ghana often relies on divine benevolence. The phrase which I believe fits us better is ‘Nyame Bɛkyerɛ Republic’ where we leave everything to God’s care. While God controls everything and takes care of us, He also gave us brains to think and find solutions to our problems.
Some may attribute certain issues to spiritual matters requiring divine intervention, but I don’t see flooding as a spiritual issue. Instead, it seems we’ve relied too heavily on fate to deal with our issues for us over the years.
The June 3 disaster, which affected 300,000 people and caused over 150 deaths, raises questions. Was it because God wasn’t watching over us that day? Or was He, as a politician once suggested, asleep? Whatever the case, the disaster occurred, and we’re still dealing with the consequences.
A decade after the incident, no one has been held accountable for negligence that led to the disaster. There were institutions and duty-bearers involved, but everyone seems to have walked away scot-free. The victims are still suffering the consequences, while families of the deceased continue to grieve.
I spoke to Thomas Sakyi, a survivor, who said the only support they’ve received came from kind individuals and then President of Benin, who helped them in 2017. But even with that, he tells me they had to go back and forth over the money before it was given to them two years later in 2019.
Sadly, five survivors have since passed away. But for Senyo Hosi and his One Ghana Movement, Sakyi says their situation would have been worse.
“The One Ghana Movement has been our lifeline, supporting us with our court cases and other needs, because we lack the resources to do it ourselves,” he explained.
“We’ve gotten nowhere with our claims. The court case is only now being addressed. Whenever we approach leaders, they deflect responsibility, saying they didn’t cause the incident and there’s nothing they can do.” He continued, “Recently, we visited the AMA, and we don’t blame the Mayor, because he was just appointed. However, the Director and his team treat us like we’re invisible. They seem unbothered, and it’s like they don’t have time for us. Tragically, five of our fellow survivors have passed away since 2019,” he narrated to me in Twi.
In the poor man’s concluding remarks, he expressed his belief that John Mahama’s return to the political scene as President is divinely ordained, given that the disaster occurred during his tenure but he lost power before making any good negotiations with the victims. Sakyi pleaded for Mahama’s intervention, sharing how many of the survivors are unable to care for themselves due to their injuries. Some can’t even afford transportation from their hometowns to Accra for meetings when the need arises, he said.
Senyo Hosi, Convenor of the One Ghana Movement who has been providing some support to the victims with his Movement, believes Ghana hasn’t learned from the incident. In his view, the June 3 disaster was a result of systemic failures by GOIL, NPA, and AMA.
“There was a combination of the failing of the fuel station, which happened to be GOIL, and its safety practices at the place. It was a failing of the supervisory responsibility at the time, of the NPA, again, of the time. And also, it was also a failing of the AMA, who was responsible for making sure that our development rules are effectively enforced.
“We allowed people to build on storm drains and then practically block the pathway. When you do that, you create a reason for flood,” he stated. “It happened because GOIL failed. Because the NPA failed. Because the AMA also failed in its financial responsibilities. If they hadn’t failed, we wouldn’t have had that flood. If GOIL hadn’t failed, we wouldn’t have had the fuel displaced, causing the fire that eventually led to the loss of lives and property, while injuring others. So, it was a failing of the entire system. And unfortunately, no one will be held accountable for it,” he further explained.
But, why hasn’t anyone been punished yet? That’s my question for duty-bearers. So, it is obvious that without the One Ghana Movement’s psychological support and advocacy for justice and compensation, what would have become of these victims? How long will we continue to mark the anniversary of this disaster, recounting the tragedy and lamenting the lack of compensation for the victims a decade on?
As Senyo Hosi pointed out, the institutions responsible for the disaster – due to negligence – are all state-owned and are easy to identify and punished.
I agree with Senyo Hosi that such disasters often occur under insensitive governments. I support his call for an out-of-court settlement for the victims. “I think that a responsible government should bring these guys in and facilitate an out-of-court settlement.” The victims need help to rebuild their lives. They’re vulnerable members of society, and their plight deserves compassion.
Before I take leave of you, I want to say that, as we mark a decade since the June 3 disaster, it is clear that the wounds are still fresh, especially to the victims and their families. The systemic failures that led to the tragedy remain unaddressed, while these victims continue to suffer, with those culpable still walking free.
I believe there is no better time to take responsibility than now, and ensure that justice and compensation for the victims are provided, and fix the systemic issues that put lives at risk. Only then can we prevent such disasters and demonstrate empathy for those affected.
The June 3 disaster may have been ‘the day God died’ in our collective consciousness, but it’s not too late for us to rise to our humanity.
The writer, Felix Anim-Appau, works with the online unit at Media General. The views expressed in this piece are his personal opinions and do not reflect, in any form or shape, those of the Media General Group, where he works. His email address is kwadwoasiedu2012@gmail.com, and he can be found on X as @platofintegrity
