General News of Saturday, 14 April 2012

Source: Daily Guide

Antoa Hits KMA Boss

DRAMA UNFOLDED at the Kejetia Bus Terminal last Saturday morning when a group of aggrieved drivers invoked the spirit of Antoa Nyamaa, a river deity to deal ruthlessly with Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive, Samuel Sarpong and the city engineer.

The drivers who wore red clothing and armbands further invoked the spirits of the Subin and Bokyerewa river gods for the same purpose.

Annoyed by the construction of stalls on the only available space left at the terminal, the group comprising drivers from the various unions working at the facility took the strange action around 10:00am.

Wielding seven eggs and a bottle of schnapps, they invoked the spirits of the three river gods to deal cruelly with anybody involved in the ongoing construction.

Their spokesperson who led the group to perform the ritual said constructing the stalls would create untold hardship for the people who work at the terminal particularly the drivers.

Kwame Owusu said the facility was already congested therefore using up the little space left that provides ventilation to build more stalls is wrong.

“It is the only exit point we have in case disaster strikes. More than 500,000 people transact business here daily and all the spaces left for use as ventilation and exit points have been used to construct stalls since Mr. Sarpong assumed office,” he said.

Attempts to contact the KMA boss and the city engineer were unsuccessful as our calls went unanswered.

“Currently there is so much congestion here; vehicles find it difficult to move in and out of the terminal causing problems for both commuters and drivers,” Owusu complained saying several appeals to the KMA boss to stop the project have fallen on deaf ears.

He alleged that when completed, the stalls are given to agro chemical dealers whose operations pollute the air. “We have written several letters to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) raising concerns about the ongoing construction,” he said.

“The EPA has written a letter to us saying it has stopped the KMA from going ahead with the construction but work is still going on under the cover of darkness.”

Mr. Owusu alleged that because the construction was inappropriate, details about the contractor and the work itself have not been displayed at the site as is normally done.

He said the drivers decided to seek supernatural intervention because they have realized the KMA boss and the assembly are determined to put up the stalls despite the problems they would bring.