Partisan robot alert: Don’t read further if you are a partisan robot who can’t think beyond the party you support!

The most annoying comments about the perennial annual deadly flooding in Accra has come from our piss-poor ‘leaders’. This year, it came from President Mahama in London. I won’t repeat it, because I don’t want to dignify his comments with any further comments. You can blame citizens who dump refuse into drains and those who build on waterways till thy kingdom come. But the mess we see in Accra and other parts of the country comes down to piss-poor leadership. End of story.

For a President on whose watch Ghana experienced the trauma of witnessing 150 citizens killed and many more permanently injured and disabled, President Mahama had another 18 months in office after the 3 June 2015 disaster to address the flooding problem in Accra. Since he was voted into office the second time (and I voted for him), he’s had another 18 months in office before we experienced another horror show on 3 June 2026.

For President Akufo-Addo and his 8-year wasted mandate, the least said about it the better. So I won’t waste any more words to describe his presidency and government, especially in relation to this issue.

I reject blaming citizens for the annual mess we see. Here’s why. When I studied in Leicester in the UK, I used to job at night. When you get to Leicester City Centre at dawn any day, the mess you will see from night revelers is no different from the mess you see on the streets of Accra. What was different, though, is that you will also see cleaning trucks and personnel deployed by the Leicester City Council, cleaning up the mess to ensure that by the time regular citizens want to go for shopping or engage in their normal daily routines, the whole city is squeaky clean!

Leicester City Council had/has leaders. Real leaders. Not the type we have in Ghana, whether at central government or district assembly levels. In every city in the UK where I’ve ever spent time – Leicester, Reading, London, Manchester – the Council ensures that every household has bins for disposing of rubbish. There were bins for regular rubbish and bins for recycling. Residents can even be fined for placing rubbish in the wrong bin.

How are the local councils able to finance collection of refuse? Council tax. Property rates. Residents pay their bills and local councils do their job of collecting the refuse. When recalcitrant residents dump refuse anywhere and they are caught, the law takes its course. You can’t build an extension to your own house without a permit from the authorities. You will be stopped and slapped with sanctions.

I am angry, because the measures adopted by local councils in the UK are no rocket science. We have a President in Ghana who appoints District Chief Executives. Districts have the mandate and power to pass by-laws and enforce them. If central government and local governments fail to do their work while enjoying the perks of power, I don’t want to hear anybody fxxxing blaming citizens. If they can’t do the work, they should resign and retire. Here are simple measures to take, if they can comprehend what is required of them:

1. Let every district assembly pass a by-law that requires every household in Accra to have a rubbish bin, if they don’t already have such a by-law.
2. Any household that does not have a rubbish bin, the assembly must provide one and charge the landlord for the bin. Payment for the bin can be spread over a reasonable period of time, in instalments.
3. The assemblies must engage private refuse collectors to collect refuse from all households on a weekly basis, and make sure they pay for the services.
4. The assemblies must finance refuse collection from annual property rates that they must collect from all property owners within their jurisdiction.
5. This will ensure that there would be no incentive for any citizen to dump refuse into drains.
6. The assemblies must get the hell out of their offices with their bulldozers and clear all waterways, and sites not marked for human habitation, of any physical obstruction. This must be an all-year-round exercise.
7. The assemblies must cause the arrest of citizens who build on waterways and Ramseyer sites, and sue them to recover the cost of demolition of illegally-sited buildings. Prosecute offenders and auction all their properties, if you must, to recover the cost of demolishing their properties sited on waterways.
8. None of the proposals above is rocket science. If our elected President, his government, his appointed Regional Ministers and MMDCEs, cannot take these steps to prevent flooding in Accra, which they blame on citizens, they must all fxxxing get out of office!

I am fxxxing tired of so-called leaders joining citizens to complain, when they have been given the mandate, resources, perks and have been tasked to solve our problems. 150 citizens died on 3 June 2015. Nothing has changed 11 years later. If you have ever held executive power in this country at any level over this period, SHAME ON YOU!!!

Kwaku Antwi-Boasiako

Accra, 5 June 2026