In the aftermath of last year’s dam spillages in Ghana’s North Tongu Constituency, thousands of residents have lost crucial identity cards, including voter cards, health insurance cards, birth certificates, and passports. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the local Member of Parliament, is calling upon state institutions such as the Health Insurance Authority, National Identification Authority, Electoral Commission, Births and Deaths Registry, and Ghana Passport Office to take immediate action in replacing these essential documents.
During a parliamentary session in Accra, Ablakwa highlighted the dire situation faced by the flood victims, emphasizing the challenges they encounter in accessing healthcare, identification, and other vital services without these cards. He also expressed concerns about the potential disenfranchisement of the affected citizens in the upcoming elections due to the loss of their voter ID cards.
Ablakwa urged the Electoral Commission to prioritize the replacement of voter cards and ensure that the affected individuals are not deprived of their right to vote. He emphasized the need for a swift and convenient process, with officials deployed to the affected communities and displaced camps to conduct the replacement exercise free of charge on humanitarian grounds.
Additionally, Ablakwa called upon the government to initiate efforts for the resettlement and compensation of over 50,000 individuals affected by the floods, stressing the constitutional obligations and rights of the victims in the wake of the disaster. He underlined the urgency of the situation, describing it as “absolutely unconscionable and untenable.”
The plea from Ablakwa serves as a stark reminder of the lingering impact of natural disasters on vulnerable communities, urging swift and compassionate action from the relevant authorities to alleviate the hardships faced by the flood victims in North Tongu.
