Residents of some communities in the Ho municipality of the Volta region embarked on a massive demonstration on Wednesday, 17th August, 2016 to protest against government for failing to fix deplorable roads in the area.
They also threatened to boycott the December polls if government fails to fix the roads, which link their communities to the regional capital, Ho.
They revealed that the authorities had taken them for granted for a long period of time.
Jones Jutus Kuma, spokesperson for the demonstrators, stated that “we are tired of the lip service being paid to the fixing of our roads, and this time we will boycott the elections if the roads are not fixed.
The demonstrators, numbering over 500, hail from Hordzokofe, Takla and Kpenoe traditional areas in the Ho Municipality.
The demonstration brought activities in Ho to a standstill, as some passersby cheered in support while others stood in awe.
According to them, the 15 kilometer road from the communities to Hordzokofe, a border community, has never been asphalted.
Hordzokofe is a strategic area for the governing National Democratic Congress due to its location.
During elections, the NDC obtains a lot of votes from that area.
The residents, who were clad in red dresses, arm bands and head gears, also wielded placards with various inscriptions to register their anger over the development.
According to them, they were disappointed in the Mahama-led administration for its inability to fulfill many promises made to complete the road.
They specifically stated that the Ho Central Member of Parliament (MP), Benjamin Kpodo had failed to honour his promise to fix the roads at the beginning of the year.
They started the demonstration from the Ho Barracks Bridge and terminated at the Municipal Assembly.
The irate residents also presented a petition to the President through the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Fafa Adinyirah.
The MCE, who received the petition, assured them that the roads would be fixed but failed to give any specific timelines.
She also thanked them for holding a peaceful demonstration.
Ironically, another group in Ho recently embarked on a march to thank President John Mahama executing monumental projects in the region, including the asphalting of the Ho roads.
From Fred Duodu, Ho (freduoo@gmail.com)