I’ll remove Agbogloshie onion sellers despite their plans to kill me – Henry Quartey

The Greater Accra Regional Minister Henry Quartey said he had uncovered a plot by some Agbogloshie traders to kill him to stop plans to relocate them from the market.

The traders, mostly onion sellers who were unhappy with news of eviction from their current place to the abandoned Adjin Kotoku site, have vowed to take action.

But the minister said he was unperturbed and will remain strong in his quest to make ‘Accra Work Again’.

“Whether they like it or not, we will move them because we have made an alternative arrangement for them. I have heard they have gone to some mallam [spiritualist] to kill me. They are kidding.

“They should tell the mallam [spiritualist] to return to his hometown because so far as God exists, nothing will happen to Henry Quartey, and by July 1, 2021, we shall move them,” he said on an Accra-based Net 2 TV.

Let’s Make Accra Work Campaign

Since assuming officer under his “Let’s Make Accra Work” campaign, the Greater Accra Regional Minister has undertaken several initiatives to provide lasting solutions to Accra’s sanitation problems.

He has supervised removing unauthorised structures along some major streets and other sanitation exercises aimed at ridding the country of filth.

As part of the project, a massive clean-up exercise began on Thursday, April 22, 2021.

The clean-up operations took off simultaneously in four constituencies — Ayawaso Central, North, East and West-Wuogon.

Personnel from the Ghana Armed Forces, Ghana Police Service, Ghana Prisons Service and Ghana Immigration Service took part in the exercise.

The rest were from the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Narcotics Control Board (NACOB), Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) and workers of waste management company Zoomlion Ghana Limited.

The exercise took off from Kawukudi in Ayawaso Central, where military, police and Zoomlion workers desilted choked gutters and swept the streets in the area.

From Kawukudi, the clean-up team moved to Paloma (also in the same municipality) to ensure that gutters in these areas were cleared of any blockage(s) to allow water to flow freely.

Motive

He said apart from making the national capital unattractive, the situation also posed a threat to security and said the decongestion exercise was part of efforts to ensure that Accra regained its lost glory.

According to him, the ongoing exercise was not aimed at victimising anybody or making life difficult for the people.

Although these initiatives have won him the admiration of some Ghanaians, others are unhappy that their means of livelihood will be taken from them.