Mallam residents stage protest, demand asphalt road after years of neglect

Residents of Mallam, situated along the 'borla' road within the Weija-Gbawe Municipality, took to the streets on Thursday in protest, demanding that the 1-kilometer road be asphalted.

Approximately one hundred residents participated in the protest, which was monitored by police officers.

They carried placards with messages calling on the authorities to address the road's condition, with slogans

Read full articlesuch as "No road, no vote."

Despite observing a pile of stones and coarse sand on the road's shoulders, which could indicate some road improvement efforts, residents claimed that this was merely a ploy to buy votes and not a genuine attempt to solve the problem.

Abel Tetteh, the leader of the group, spoke to Citi News, expressing disappointment in the lack of respect shown by local authorities and the failure of the Member of Parliament (MP) and assembly members to address their concerns.

Tetteh raised doubts about the government's commitment to asphalting the roads, noting that other neighborhoods in Accra have received asphalt roads while they are still waiting for theirs.

The residents are now appealing directly to the government to intervene and provide the necessary assistance to improve their road conditions.

In his statement, Tetteh emphasized their disappointment with the local authorities, saying, "It has happened because these people do not respect us. First of all, they invited us, they didn’t come to us again. We want an asphalt [road] with a white line."

He also highlighted the residents' frustration with the MP and assembly members, stating, "We don’t want the MP to come again because the MP has failed us, and the assembly members too have failed us."

The residents of Mallam are adamant about their demands, expressing their dissatisfaction with the road conditions that have persisted for 30 years.

They are calling on the government to fulfill its promise to improve their road, stating, "We the residents concerned, residents of Bola Road, are tired of the road and the dust."

Their protest underscores the urgency of addressing the infrastructural needs of communities like Mallam, where basic amenities such as a well-paved road are long overdue.