From Issah Alhassan, Kumasi
THE DECISION by the Assemblywoman for Bonwire, Mad. Akua Afriyie to allocate a parcel of land in the community to a private developer, for the construction of a toilet facility, has sparked tension within the
community.
The youth of the community have vowed not to allow the private developer to embark on the project, said to have been located at the heart of the Bonwire Township.
According to information, though the Chief of the community and the youth have on several occasions protested against the location of the project, which they say could pose serious environmental danger to residents, Mad. Akua Afriyie remains adamant and is bent on leasing the land to the said developer, on a 20-year Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) terms.
In a strongly worded statement released and signed by Spokesperson for the youth, Kwabena Atuahene, the youth bemoaned what they said was a high sense of disrespect on the part of the assemblywoman. He explained that the youth were not against the construction of a toilet facility within the Bonwire community, but they are worried about the fact that the said area, which has long served as a leisure
site and car park for the community, was being encroached upon.
The youth have, therefore, warned the assemblywoman and the developer to desist from their attempt to encroach upon the site in order to prevent what they termed as a repeat of the Kenyase and Buokrom scenario.
Meanwhile, the Assemblywoman has described the action of the youth as sabotage, being orchestrated by some high profile personalities within the community.
Mad. Akua Afriyie told Ashanti File in a telephone interview that the said site, which the youth are protesting against, had long been a place of convenience for the people.
According to her, she decided to construct a decent place of convenience to avoid the regular defecation and also prevent any possible environmental hazards.
“The place was initially being used as a dumping site and later turned into place of defecation so I decided that rather than allowing the people to defecate around, let’s construct a decent facility and that is how come I brought this developer to the site,” she explained.