Some have been wondering and others have been asking about the category of award I won on Saturday at the Ghana Journalists’ Association awards.
The
category was TRANSPORT AND ROAD SAFETY (PRINT) and the story that won the award
was about the preventable accidents that continue to occur in the infamous Asitey
curve - located on the Odumase-Oterkpolu road - the resultant fatalities and
injuries.
The story was done in partnership with a colleague, Seth J. Bokpe. Our first attempt at telling the story about the disturbing trend was in 2009, eleven solid years ago. I remember we did an extensive investigation into the phenomenon. The two of us had to travel all the way to Koforidua to engage the then Regional Manager of the Ghana Highways Authority. We got the story published in the Daily Graphic newspaper and expected that it would jerk the duty bearers out of their slumber to remedy the situation.
Several
years down the line, the situation remained same and more terrible accidents
were recorded in rapid succession at the same spot – in the curve located at
the end of a steep escarpment.
Between 15th and 18th June 2019 alone, there have been three reported accidents, resulting in 10 deaths and injuries to about 63 people. The above statistics include seven deaths and more than 50 injured members of the St. Barbara Catholic Church in Akosombo who were on a return trip from a funeral. A few days after that ghastly accident at the spot, another accident nearby killed three persons. On June 18, a tipper truck went off the road and ended up in the drain to the right of the curve.
In
October 2018, a science teacher of the Mangoase Senior High School died at this
same spot when the bus on which he and some 56 students were travelling
reportedly failed its brake and crashed into the valley.
In
this story that won the award, we traced the phenomenon to twenty years back
and shared scary statistics including research findings and recommendations on
how the recurring crashes could be averted or at least reduced.
We
also looked for some of the surviving but maimed victims of the numerous
crashes who recounted their ordeal and ‘miserable’ life after the accidents.
One of such people was Madam Dede Kosi from Kodjonya whose right leg was amputated
as a result of an accident at the same spot 22 years ago.
Madam Kosi who presently uses a prosthetic leg, owned and operated a flourishing business at the time. She was transporting her wares together with some of her colleague traders when they came crashing, an event that threw her life and those of her dependents into disarray. Some of the victims ‘checked out of life’; she was lucky to have survived but she lost a leg. Her business and aspirations came tumbling as a result.
It will
interest you to know that not even the Ghana Police Service or the Municipal
Assembly could readily produce data on the repeated accidents. That is how
serious the situation is. The authorities have absolutely no data to inform
their decision on what to. It makes you understand why the situation remains
same, because you simply cannot appreciate the severity of the issue without
any meaningful data. Anytime accidents occurred at the spot, the authorities
went there to transport victims and cleared wreckage/debris at the place apparently
in readiness for the next crash. Can you imagine?
And
so folks, this is but a gist of the story behind the award. It’s more of a
recognition of the effort that goes into the stories I do at leisure. Journalism
has been my dream but I found myself doing something else soon after school.
For now, it’s more of a past time.
Click
the link below and read the award winning story in detail.
If
you meet my friend, no, brother, Seth J. Bokpe, somewhere, give him a hug, he
is such a skillful writer. His works and how he goes about them make journalism
so inviting.
PICTURES:
Pic
1: Seth and I in a pose shortly after receiving the award
Pic
2: A short of the infamous Asitey curve
Pic
3: One of the many vehicles that crashed at in the curve
Pic
4: Madam Dede Kosi, one of the survivors of the many crashes. Her right leg was
amputated after her accident in the curve
Pic
5: Award winners from the Graphic Communications Group in a pose with
Information Minister, Hon. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah
6.
‘Opana” showcasing the award
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