President Akufo-Addo at the Anglican Church in Tamale
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has promised to find lasting solution to the frequent gas explosions in the country.
On Saturday at about 5pm, Madina, a suburb of Accra, experienced a gas explosion, which has resulted in seven deaths and 35 casualties, including a fire officer, who are receiving medical attention.
Five persons, who are in critical condition, are currently receiving treatment at the 37 Military Hospital in Accra.
The incident, the third in the country this year, lit the skyline in the eastern part of Accra, destroying properties and vehicles in and around the Mansco Gas Filling Point at the Atomic Junction, adjacent a Total service station, making motorists, pedestrians, hawkers, food vendors and residents flee for their lives.
In a speech at the Anglican Church in Tamale, the Northern Regional capital, President Akufo-Addo said gas explosions had become one too many in the country and it’s about time a lasting solution was advanced to bring the unfortunate phenomena to a halt.
The president indicated that he had asked Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the sector minister and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as all stakeholders in the sector to come out with a progressive plan and policy, which would see an end to such occurrences in the country.
President Akufo-Addo said, “The gas explosion is one too many. Ghana cannot afford anymore of such incidents. We are going to have to come out with a clear policy on how to prevent such incidents in the future.
“Cabinet will be meeting on Thursday, October 12, 2017 and, I believe, out of that meeting, the country will know what our programme is, the comprehensive programme we intend to have to bring such incidents to a stop.”
He made a passionate appeal to industry players “to recognise that we all have to make adjustments to be able to guarantee the safety and security of our people, so these things do not happen again.”
He charged, “I need the support and the cooperation of the people of Ghana to make sure that the policies that we will be bringing out succeed, so that such incidents become a thing of the past and not of our future.”
President Akufo-Addo urged the priests and the congregation of the Tishigu Anglican Church to “pray for all those who were caught up in the tragedy in Accra yesterday – the dead and the injured people. We pray for their souls, and we pray for their families, that the Almighty will give them comfort and strength in these trying times.”
He added that just as he needed their prayers and support to win the elections, he needs more now to be the good leader Ghanaians need and to fulfill all his promises to the citizenry.
Bishop of the Anglican Diocese, Rev Dr. Jacob Kofi Ayeebo, appealed to the president to collaborate with faith-based schools to provide quality education to Ghanaian children in keeping with the Free SHS policy.
According to him, the taking over of religious schools by government had affected the smooth running of most schools; and pleaded with the government to rescind its decision about the takeover of faith-based schools.
Nana Akufo-Addo brought his week-long tour of the region to an end yesterday.
He is expected to be at the Flagstaff House in Accra today.
FROM Eric Kombat, Tamale