Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said Ghanaians cannot afford anymore gas explosions in the country, stating a clear policy on how to end the recurring disasters would be put in place
“It is time these incidents came to a stop in Ghana. We cannot continue with them,” he said in the aftermath of the explosions at two fuel stations at Atomic Junction in Accra Saturday night.
Seven people have so far been confirmed dead as a result of the disaster, which becomes the eight major gas explosion to hit the country in three years. 132 people who got injured are receiving free medical care.
“We are going to have to come out with a clear policy on how to prevent such incidents in the future,” President Akufo-Addo said on Sunday during his tour of the Northern Region. This was when the President worshipped with congregants at the Tishigu Anglican Church, in Tamale on day three of his tour of the region.
READ: Gov’t kickstarts new policy to end recurring explosions at fuel stations
“Cabinet will be meeting on Thursday, [12th October, 2017] and, I believe, out of that meeting, the country will know what our programme is, the comprehensive programme we intend to have to bring such incidents to a stop,” he assured Ghanaians.
Nana Akufo-Addo stressed that the gas explosion at Atomic Junction “is one too many. We cannot afford anymore.”
He thus wants “everybody involved in the industry to recognise that we all have to make adjustments to be able to guarantee the safety and security of our people, so these things do not happen again.
“I need your support, and the co-operation of the people of Ghana to make sure that the policies that we will be bringing out succeed, so that such incidents become a thing of the past and not of our future.”
President Akufo-Addo urged the priests and congregation of the Tishigu Anglican Church “to pray for all those who were caught up in the tragedy in Accra yesterday – the dead and the injured people.”
He added: “We pray for their souls, and we pray for their families, that the Almighty will give them comfort and strength in these trying times.”
Touching on the partnership between faith-based schools and government, President Akufo-Addo reiterated the contributions of faith based schools to the development of Ghana’s educational structure.
He indicated “if ever there was a time when the partnership between the State and the faith-based should be strong, this is the time for that.”
His government, he assured, would strengthen the relationship between Government and the faith-based schools.
“It is our hope that, in the period of our mandate, we will give more and more responsibilities to the faith-based schools to guide their products, so that the moralities and values associated with Christianity, religious worship, belief in God, integrity and honesty, are inculcated in our young people, when they are needed.
“We are going to reverse the paradigm shift and go back to the old arrangement,” he noted.
Sign up for GhanaStar.com to receive daily email alerts of breaking news in Ghana. GhanaStar.com is your source for all Ghana News. Get the latest Ghana news, breaking news, sports, politics, entertainment and more about Ghana, Africa and beyond.
