The Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, has defended former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia’s appeal for the government to consider declaring a state of emergency in response to the recent floods, arguing that the severity of the disaster makes the proposal both reasonable and necessary.
The Vice Chairman of Parliament’s Subsidiary Legislation Committee said the scale of the flooding is unprecedented in recent years and should not be treated as an ordinary occurrence.
He maintained that Dr Bawumia’s suggestion deserves serious attention rather than outright dismissal.
“I don’t think it is far-fetched. Dr Mahamudu Bawumia is speaking from a place of justification, and for me, I think that is something worth giving deep thought to,” he said.
Addressing claims that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) did not advocate for a similar measure during flood incidents under the Akufo-Addo administration, Mr Awuah argued that the current disaster is significantly more severe than previous incidents.
“There have been people who died during flooding in Akufo-Addo’s time, without a doubt. But in terms of magnitude, have you seen this happen in the last eight years that President Akufo-Addo and Dr Bawumia were in government? You’ve never seen this before, have you?”
“Apart from the June 3 disaster that killed over 150 people, have you seen this magnitude of disaster resulting from flooding in this country before? It’s never happened,” he stated.
The Manhyia South legislator said the true extent of the destruction is still being assessed and argued that this justifies the consideration of exceptional measures to support relief operations and prepare for further heavy rainfall.
“And we are yet to see the scale of devastation that has been experienced as a result of this disaster. Don’t you think there should be a state of emergency declared for us to first assess the scale of devastation and then manage the situation going forward, particularly because of the forecast of more rains?” he asked.
Mr Awuah also cited the Interior Minister’s directive urging residents to remain indoors during the floods as an indication of the seriousness of the situation.
“Remember the Minister for the Interior issued a statement asking people to stay indoors. When was the last time you had a Minister for the Interior issue such a statement? When you put all these things together, clearly Dr Mahamudu Bawumia is speaking from a place of justification,” he argued.
Earlier, former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia called on the government to consider declaring a state of emergency in flood-hit areas should weather forecasts indicate the likelihood of more heavy rainfall.
According to him, such a declaration would allow the government to deploy resources more efficiently, safeguard lives and strengthen the coordination of emergency response efforts following the deadly floods that have impacted parts of the Greater Accra Region and other areas of the country.
