Akufo-Addo shifts blame says Adentan-Madina highway deaths "legacies of a past decade of neglect"

The recent mishaps at the Adentan-Madina Highway are as a result of “legacies of a past decade of neglect, President Nana Akufo-Addo has stated.

A recent incident on Thursday which led to the death of a first year student of the West Africa Secondary School (WASS) sparked an instantaneous demonstration amidst burning of tyres and hurling of stones by the residents of the area, who had complained several times about the carnage they have endured for over 10 years as a result of the unusable footbridges.

Apart from the Adentan-Madina Highway, several people have also been killed on the N1 Highway as a result of lack of footbridges at the appropriate and busiest places along the stretch. 

Commenting on the latest accident and its after-effects, President Akufo-Addo said in a statement on his social media pages that: “I express my deep condolences to the family of the student who lost her life yesterday at Adentan, after being knocked down by a taxi, as she attempted crossing the road on her way from school.

“Our nation has suffered an unnecessary loss.

“The scenes that played out in its aftermath are regrettable, and should not happen again.

“The Ministry of Roads and Highways is ensuring that work begins on completion of these bridges in the course of the coming week, and has put together a comprehensive plan to address systematically all these infrastructural problems, which are legacies of a past decade of neglect.

“I would urge drivers and pedestrians to obey and respect the laws on our roads. All of us, Government and the citizenry, have a collective responsibility to safeguard and preserve life. My condolences, once again, to the family”, he added.