June 3 Disaster In Ghana: Victims Still Facing Major Hardships Five Years On

June 3rd Disaster 2015, Accra, Ghana

Accra, Ghana, June 3, 2020//-Donations poured in in droves from corporate bodies, private individuals, multinational organisations, international development organisations, associations and unions, members of the Diplomatic Missions and foreign governments as victims of the June 3 2015 fire and flood disaster lay in agonizing pain in hospitals, and as families buried loved ones they lost to the disaster.

 

Five years later and the victims are yet to receive any substantial disbursements of the said contribution. Victims have been maimed for life, many have lost their livelihoods and do not have the strength to work
as they used to.

Some of them still go for treatment at the hospital, and some still need surgeries that they cannot fund. Without jobs and a source of income, being ejected from their homes, having to deal with physical pain and scars, as well as the emotional trauma of the disaster; the challenges of victims of the June 3 disaster are many and burdensome.

Yet, they bear all these while the persons and institutions responsible for their suffering walk free.

The only funds received by victims to date are from a $200,000 donation by the President of Benin which
the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) disbursed to them in June 2019.

This begs the question; “Where are the funds that were donated to the victims, and why have they not been disbursed even five years after the disaster?”

Since 2017, the OneGhana Movement has taken on a legal project; the Justice for June 3 victims or the J4J3
campaign, seeking equitable compensation for the victims and officials being held liable for their actions and inactions that led to the avoidable flood and fire disaster.

While the organisation acknowledges that the wheels of justice grind slowly, we do believe that the victims have endured significant trauma over the past five years and need to be adequately compensated to enable them afford a quality life and to restore faith in the justice system.

JUSTICE FOR JUNE 3RD VICTIMS – J4J3 CAMPAIGN
On 2nd June 2017, two years after the disaster; the OneGhana Movement, in accordance with its citizen responsibility and policy accountability objectives, launched the “Justice 4 June 3 (J4J3)” Campaign, to
pursue justice for victims of the June 3 avoidable disaster.

The major objectives of this “Justice 4 June 3 project” are to secure equitable compensation for victims, and to hold corporations, public officials and institutions accountable for their actions and inactions.

The victims and the OneGhana Movement have since through their lawyers, (A-Partners @ Law) and
(Darko, Keli-Delataa & Co.), commenced a class action suit against Ghana Oil (GOIL), National Petroleum
Authority (NPA) and the Accra Metropolitan Authority (AMA) for their complicity in the disaster.

While the court case continues, it is our expectation that, the pursuit of justice will not only result in fair compensations to victims and their families and punishment to culpable officials.

Even more importantly, it will drive the sense of accountability and responsibility on the part of citizens, corporate Ghana and public officials.

In so doing, the citizens shall be emboldened not to allow their rights and privileges to be trampled upon, and public servants and politicians alike shall realize that they will be held accountable for their actions.

As we press resources into service to ensure justice for the victims and their families, we humbly request media organizations and other public-spirited entities to join us in this fight for justice and a better show of responsibility by our public service institutions.

OneGhana, Honour the Pledge!

Signed: Emily Kanyir Nyuur,  Ag. Executive Director, OneGhana Movement

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