Member of Parliament for Ablekuma South and former Mayor of Accra, Alfred Oko Vanderpuije, has strongly defended the controversial demolitions that took place in the capital during his tenure, insisting they were driven by public health and national interest concerns.
In an interview on Channel One's Newsroom with Eno Safo, Vanderpuije recalled the rationale behind key demolitions across Accra, including areas along the High Street, beachfront communities, and the Kwame Nkrumah Circle area. "Every demolition I led in Accra, there was a reason behind it," he explained. "If you think of the High Streets, the beach side, at the centre of demolition, it was to stop cholera at that time.
It was at a high end, people were dying.
And medical officers traced it to that community." The former mayor recounted the dire conditions found in affected areas, describing how unhygienic practices were taking place just steps away from food vendors. "We went in there we were told to stop what was happening there.
