Joe Ghartey leads GRA in donating GHC100,000 to Egyiresia Premix Fuel Explosion victims

The Member of Parliament for Essikado-Ketan Constituency and Board Chairman of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Hon. Joe Ghartey, has led the GRA in donating to the victims of the Egyiresia premix fuel explosion.

Under Hon. Ghartey’s leadership, the GRA donated Ghc 100,000 to support the victims. Hon. Ghartey, accompanied by senior officials from the GRA, including the Commissioner of Customs, Brigadier General Zibrim Bawa Ayorrogo, visited the community in Essikado in the Western Region to present the donation.

The donation ceremony was held at the Palace of Nana Kobina Nketsia V, Paramount Chief of the Essikadu Traditional Area. During the event, Brigadier General Zibrim Bawa Ayorrogo handed over the funds to the victims to help cover their medical expenses.

In his remarks, Hon. Ghartey emphasized the significant costs associated with treating burn victims and called on other individuals and organizations to join in supporting the victims.

He stated, "To manage a burn victim involves a lot of money. A medical officer told me it even costs more than dialysis. We are trying to rally support for the families. We have already gathered fifty thousand from Amandi, and we have also contributed our own money. Today, the Ghana Revenue Authority has brought GHC100,000. We are here to strengthen and commiserate with the victims and their families. People should not think this is a lot of money because taking care of the victims involves a lot. We have nine victims who are not out of the woods, so we still need more contributions to support them."

Nana Kobina Nketsia V expressed his gratitude for the gesture and encouraged the officers of the GRA to use their positions to defend the country.

Tragically, three more individuals, aged 55, 24, and 14, have succumbed to their injuries from the explosion, increasing the death toll to six. Daniela Cornelius, 14, passed away at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital on June 5th, 2024, while Nurideen Morrison, 24, and Kojo Egyir, 55, died at separate locations on June 2, 2024.

Hon. Ghartey, a former Attorney General and Minister of Justice has also made personal donations to support the fire victims. Recently, he visited some of the victims at the Burns Unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. Additionally, he successfully solicited funds from the STL Amandi Foundation to aid the victims.

On May 24, 2024, Hon. Ghartey and NPP Parliamentary Candidate for Essikado Ketan Constituency, Charles Bissue, led representatives of STL Amandi Foundation in presenting Ghc 50,000 to the Chief of Ngersia, Nana Dokoa Agyeman III, at Effia Nkwanta Hospital. The Chief received the funds on behalf of the victims and expressed gratitude for the support.