Residents of Bomaa, a farming community in the Tano North District of the Ahafo Region, have appealed to the President, Nana Akufo-Addo, to as a matter of urgency, come to their aid and construct their roads.
They said the nature of the roads has retarded the development of the town after many unfulfilled promises to fix them.
Led by the Patriotic Youth of Bomaa, the residents said the only way the president can save his image and that of his party is to fix the about 60 km of roads. They also served notice of advising themselves during the next elections.
Bomaa has 5km of town roads that connect to Duayaw Nkwanta -14.5km, Tepa -11.3km, Yamfo -19.3km, and Dwenase -8.05km, all in a sorry state.
Bomaa and the nearby communities have a population of about 7,000 inhabitants and are most noted for foodstuffs such as plantain, cassava, yam, cocoyam, and maize, among others. They also produce cocoa and supply timber in large quantities.
Some prominent patriotic songs such as “Dwene Oman yi ho”, “Ghana Akuafo”, “Osee yee Ghana”, and “Aniha mu nni biribi se ohia” were all composed and sung by the Bomaa Paradise Dramatic Choir, led by the late Yaw Owusu Badu.
But despite Bomaa’s contribution to national development, the road network of the once proud and enviable community in the erstwhile Brong Ahafo Region in the sixties and seventies is in such a shambolic state.
The situation is worse during the rainy season as uncompleted projects and erosion have devastated the town, affecting every aspect of residents’ lives.
The old, sick, and pregnant women, like 90-year-old blind Akua Mansa and Akosua Serwaa said seeking healthcare is a challenge.
“I was carried to the hospital since a car could not pick me up from the house. If something happens in Bomaa, the roads are not motorable. The government should fix them for us,” the fragile old lady appealed.
“As a pregnant woman, if I am in labor, no car would come to my house due to the road, and I could deliver on the way to the hospital, something that scares me,” Madam Serwaa stated.
Farmers are not spared. Stephen Beyuo laments their nightmare of carrying farm crops to the house or market.
“My cocoa is stacked on the farm as I can’t cart them home due to the road. A friend is helping me out, but he would have to leave them at a distance, and I carry them to the house,” the tired-looking Beyuo said.
Mr. Kyeremeh, a driver whose car broke down said, “I have spent three days on these bad roads. Every day I buy new spare parts. Nothing is working for us. We beg the president to come to the aid of Bomaa. We are helpless.”
The residents expressed their frustrations over successive governments’ unfulfilled promises.
Nana Kyei, a resident, said Government officials would come and meet Bomaa leaders on the road with a promise to fix them, but as soon as they leave, they don’t know about Bomaa again.
Because of the situation, the convener of the Patriotic Youth of Bomaa, Isaac Adjei Boateng, at a recent press briefing asked: “Where did Bomaaman go wrong? Where is our part of the national cake? Is it the case that the Parliament of Ghana rejected the portion of the national budget that captured the Bomaa roads? Are the President and Minister of roads aware of these continuously failed promises and their consequences? Is that what we get from our consistent unflinching loyalty and allegiance to the NPP?”
He bemoaned how politicians have taken them for granted, especially during elections.
Mr. Boateng said they pretend to construct the roads by bringing machines on them before the elections but vanish after the elections.
“We appeal to the government, led by HE Nana Akufo-Addo, to as a matter of urgency act to save the image of Bomaa, his own image, and that of his party at large,” he said and also added that the NPP administration must wake and ensure a fair distribution of the national cake.
Mr. Boateng insisted that if the situation does not change, unlike other communities, they would exercise their franchise, but “we may probably have to advise ourselves going into the next polls.”
