The North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has asked the Volta River Authority (VRA) to make available a detailed emergency preparedness plan for the next spillage.

This, he believes, would help avert the level of disaster experienced last year, where over 30,000 persons were displaced and compelled to live under inhuman circumstances.

His request follows a notice by the VRA inviting stakeholders for an engagement ahead of the second controlled spillage in about a year.

Speaking at the press launch of the Tongu Chiefs Union in Juapong, Mr. Ablakwa called for extensive stakeholder engagement to ensure all outstanding safety issues are addressed before the spillage.

“We want to use this opportunity to send a very clear message to the Volta River Authority that the disregard for our dignity, for our humanity that occurred last year, we would not accept that this year. We would not tolerate that this year.

"Before they spill, we want to see their emergency preparedness plan, we want to see their plan to evacuate people. And we want to see where they have prepared for the people who will be evacuated”, he said.

Compensation for 2023 Victims

Mr. Ablakwa expressed disgust at the failure of the VRA to compensate victims of the controlled spillage in September 2023, leaving most of them with no option but to live in tents among unsuitable housing units.

Those who had their farms and businesses destroyed are faced with extreme hardship as they struggle to restore their livelihoods.

He said the neglect of the VRA is a slap on the humanity, rights, and dignity of the victims and urged the government to identify the victims as tax-paying Ghanaians, and compensate them.

“We want to remind the government of its obligation, this is a matter of right, we are not asking for favors, we are asking for our fundamental human rights to be respected”, he stressed.

Lawsuit against VRA on failed compensation

Mr. Ablakwa added that the Members of Parliament for Central and North Tongu have instructed their lawyers to prepare and haul the Volta River Authority to court on the delayed compensation.

He said the legal team had begun collating data on the damage caused by the spillage in September 2023 in preparation for the lawsuit.

“We will make sure that we pursue that case until every single person is compensated. The pledge we made to you as your leaders is that we will not leave anybody behind. As your leaders, we represent all of you.

"We don't want it to be part of our legacy, where one day, our children or grandchildren will be told that when your parents were leading and there was this huge disaster, they left us in the dungeon. They abandoned us. We don't want that to be there. So, this is not partisan, it is about right, it is about respect for humanity”, he said.