OP‑ED FOR SANKOFAONLINE
By Daniel Nii Okine
The Daylight Assault on Our Infrastructure
When construction crews begin to treat our public streets and gutters as private dumping grounds, something fundamental has broken in our national conscience.
Across Ghana, a dangerous trend has become the “new normal.” Contractors casually heap mounds of sharp sand, granite chippings, and construction debris directly onto active roadways or into vital drainage channels. They aren’t just “working”, they are systematically blocking the natural flow of water and creating stagnant pools of filth.
They do this in broad daylight, in full view of the public, and, most disturbingly,under the very noses of the authorities mandated to protect us.
The Hidden Cost of “Progress”
This isn’t a minor oversight or a logistical hiccup. It is a direct assault on public safety.
- The Flood Risk: A blocked drain is a flood waiting to happen.
- The Health Crisis: Stagnant water is a VIP lounge for disease-carrying mosquitoes.
- The Road Hazard: A contractor who obstructs a lane with a pile of sand isn’t building the nation; he is dismantling the safety of the community he claims to serve.
We have seen the receipts of this negligence. Our roads are scarred with the memories of avoidable tragedies. Consider the numerous night-time accidents where unsuspecting motorists and delivery riders have slammed into unmarked sand pits or skidded on loose gravel left behind by indifferent crews. These aren’t “accidents”, they are results of negligence .
The Blind Eye of the Law
What is more troubling than the negligence of the contractors is the deafening silence of our enforcement agencies.
The Ghana Police Service and municipal officials cannot continue to drive past these hazards as if they are invisible. The police mandate is not limited to crime scenes and routine traffic stops. “Protection of life” includes the enforcement of environmental and public safety laws.
When a contractor endangers a neighborhood, the police must intervene. When a drain is blocked, they must act. When a community is put at risk, they must defend it.
The Price of Normalizing Negligence
A society collapses not only because of the actions of wrongdoers but because of the paralysis of those in power. We have normalized the abnormal. We have accepted a system where citizens suffer because enforcement agencies refuse to enforce.
Ghana deserves better than this cycle of indifference. We deserve:
- Contractors who respect the environment and the people.
- Officers who understand that duty extends beyond the uniform.
- A Country where public safety is a priority, not an afterthought.
The Bottom Line
We are done with excuses. The piles of sand must move, the drains must be cleared, and the law must be felt.
The time for enforcement is now.
