Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has pledged to provide relief items to victims of the recent flood disaster and has called on all Ghanaians to contribute towards easing the suffering of affected communities.
Dr Bawumia appealed on Tuesday, June 30, after touring some flood-affected areas in the Greater Accra Region.
He emphasised the need for collective action, stating that every individual and organisation should play a role in supporting victims.
“Everybody should do something; myself, I will try and help in a small way with the relief items. Our country people and communities are in need, and we should all chip in to come and help them; it is a sad situation,” he told journalists.
The former Vice President also cautioned against politicising the disaster, urging all political parties to set aside their differences and focus on finding lasting solutions to the recurrent flooding.
“I want all Ghanaians to come together. I don’t want what is happening to break down into partisan battles among the parties; there is a real issue of flooding facing Greater Accra, and that issue is something that requires an immediate and urgent solution,” he said.
Dr Bawumia further proposed that the government declare a state of emergency, citing weather forecasts that predict more rains in the coming days. He also called for the formation of a bipartisan team of experts to tackle the flooding challenge comprehensively.
“What is worrying for me is that the forecasts are of even more rains to come. If there is going to be more rain, I believe that the government could also consider declaring a state of emergency so that we deal with this in that particular order. This is a real big problem for the country, and we have to put all our emergencies, all our talents, engineers, bring everybody together regardless of political party,” he added.
His comments come on the heels of President John Dramani Mahama’s directive for the release of GHC300 million from the Contingency Fund to support flood relief and mitigation efforts, with GHC150 million earmarked for immediate assistance and the remaining amount for long-term flood control measures.
