Nii Oko Vanderpuije, the Member of Parliament for Ablekuma South and former Mayor of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, defended the series of demolitions carried out during his tenure. He emphasized that these actions were necessary for protecting public health and promoting the national interest. In an interview on Channel One’s Newsroom with Eno Safo, Vanderpuije addressed the criticism regarding the demolitions that took place in various parts of the Greater Accra Region while he was in office, especially during a public health crisis.
“Every demolition I led in Accra, there was a reason behind it. If you think of the High Streets, the beach side, at the centre of demolition, it was to stop cholera at that time. It was at a high end, people were dying. And medical officers traced it to that community,” he explained. He described how the outbreak was traced to a specific area where unsanitary conditions posed a severe health threat.
We went in there we were told to stop what was happening there. People were defecating when we went in there. And people were buying waakye, eating banku, and we had to clear that to eliminate it. The outbreak came down, and for about 4 or 5 years, Accra was okay. Until recently, two or three years ago, it came back again,” Vanderpuije recounted.
He also referenced the demolition at Kwame Nkrumah Circle, emphasizing its urgency due to diplomatic concerns raised by the United States. “The next demolition I can think of is Circle, and that demolition was very necessary because the US had threatened to make a decision that was going to affect the economy of Ghana due to the human rights abuse there,” he said.
“Why should we sit down and allow a group of people to tarnish our image to the extent that it will cause us economic hardships?” he added. While acknowledging that such actions may be controversial, Vanderpuije maintained they were ultimately in the best interest of the city and the nation.
By: Leticia Osei
