Sodom and Gomorrah: NDC lies stalled Adjen Kotoku project - Jake

Minister of Tourism and Diasporan Relations in President John Kufuor's administration, Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, says a campaign of lies by late President John Evans Atta Mills and his governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) stalled the progress of Adjen Kotoku project.

The redevelopment of the Adjen Kotoku community project started in 2008 and it included plans to construct a wholesale market, a 14-unit classroom block, a clinic, a community centre, a storm water drainage system, transport terminals and a sewerage reticulation plant.

The wholesale market was to serve traders in Accra and its environs for bulk breaking activities and to ease congestion in most markets in the capital.

Traders at the Agbogbloshie market – close to the Sodom and Gomorrah slum - were also expected to be relocated. The project was earmarked for completion by November 2011.

According to Mr Obetsebi Lamptey, when the then J.A Kufuor administration started the project, the late president Mills led a massive campaign against it without considering the benefits the project would bring to the people in the community and the nation at large.

The former Chief of Staff was giving reasons why the project could not be completed in the wake of the demolition of the Sodom and Gomorrah slum.

According to him, had the project been completed the Old Fadama or the Sodom and Gomorrah slum situation would have been dealt with a long time ago.

Angry residents of the slum embarked on a violent demonstration Monday 22nd June, 2015 against what they described as unfair treatment by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), after the assembly demolished part of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Mr Obetsebi Lamptey told Afia Pokua host of Adom FM’s “Burning Issues” that the delay in the project was caused by late President John Evans Atta Mills and the NDC.

“The late president Mills organized his campaign with all lies and came [into government] and so had to work with those lies….spewing false lies has resulted in the riot by the residents and delay of the project”, Jake stated.

“Unfortunately, the NDC started attacking us, they attacked me personally and the architects working on it that we were only to make money and trying to move criminals to Adjen Kotoku and disturb the peace of the people in the area. But they were only looking for votes from the people but not in the interest of Ghanaians”, the former NPP Chairman stressed.