Oliver Barker Vormawor, convener of the FixTheCountry Movement and a legal practitioner, has questioned the government’s approach to demolishing buildings situated on waterways, insisting that any exercise must be backed by a transparent and comprehensive plan.
In a social media post, Barker Vormawor argued that if authorities have identified more than 10,500 structures occupying waterways across the country, they must ensure that the demolition exercise is carried out fairly and uniformly rather than selectively targeting a few property owners.
According to him, any homeowner whose property has been earmarked for demolition should demand to see a detailed implementation plan showing how all affected structures will be addressed.
“If there are over 10,500 houses in waterways, anyone whose house is marked for demolition must demand a plan that shows how all these will be demolished together,” he wrote.
He maintained that the State cannot arbitrarily choose a handful of buildings for demolition while leaving others untouched, describing such an approach as inconsistent and lacking fairness.
The legal practitioner also questioned the State’s responsibility in the proliferation of buildings on waterways, arguing that public authorities failed to prevent the construction of many of the affected structures despite having the legal mandate to enforce planning regulations.
According to Barker Vormawor, in some instances, state agencies allegedly stood by while individuals invested their life savings into constructing homes and, in certain cases, even encouraged such developments.
He therefore contended that courts should not permit the demolition of such properties without compensation or, at the very least, require the State to demonstrate that demolition is the only viable solution after all other remedial measures have been exhausted.
He argued that alternative interventions should be thoroughly explored before resorting to the destruction of people’s homes.
Expressing concern over what he described as poor governance and weak accountability, Barker Vormawor criticised public institutions for making major decisions without adequate planning or transparency.
“How can we live in a country where the public service just does things by heart and without accountability?” he questioned.
He further stated that the purpose of government is to ensure that public affairs are managed through proper planning, law and accountability rather than arbitrary decision-making.
“The whole essence of why we have government is so that we don’t behave as if we are in the jungle,” he remarked, adding that governance in Ghana too often appears to be driven by impulse rather than careful thought and strategic planning.
His comments come amid renewed national efforts to tackle perennial flooding following recent heavy rains that affected several parts of the country.
The government’s Flood Mitigation Task Force has identified numerous illegal developments, including residential apartments, commercial structures and retention walls constructed on waterways and natural drainage channels in areas such as Oyarifa and Tesa Dam near East Legion.
The structures have been earmarked for demolition as part of efforts to restore the free flow of stormwater and reduce the risk of future flooding.
The task force, made up of personnel from the Ghana Armed Forces and other government agencies, is undertaking post-flood assessments and enforcement operations aimed at clearing obstructed waterways and improving drainage infrastructure across affected communities.
By 1960news.com
