Following a confrontation with a member of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD), Accra Mayor Hon. Michael Kpakpo Allotey expressed regret to the police, emphasizing that his actions were not directed at the police but rather were meant to guarantee adherence to local laws.
The mayor told reporters that he went back to the scene of the altercation to show that enforcement was fair and consistent in order to guarantee a city where cars and pedestrians could travel freely. He was speaking about his routine monitoring exercise of the ongoing decongestion exercise.
He explained that the argument started because the officer in issue was reportedly permitting drivers to park and load passengers at unapproved spots within the Central Business District.
“You can see, today I’m back here again to the same place where the incident happened,” he said.
He claimed that these actions weakened the Assembly’s attempts to keep the peace and ease traffic.
“The police officer was not doing the right thing, and the people are still here today because of that,” he said, pointing to clamped cars lining the side of the road.
Hon. Allotey emphasized that he had no personal grudges against the police and that his main goal was to make sure the law was followed.
“It’s not as if I’m after the man in uniform or I’m after any police. We are working for the same government, and I just want the right thing to be done,” he said.
The mayor apologized in public to Ghanaians who might have felt disrespected by the situation and emphasized that the exercise will go on throughout Accra until the main traffic jams are resolved.
Hon. Allotey stated that the city’s transformation strategy was still on track and reaffirmed his commitment to upholding discipline and enhancing order.
The Assembly’s larger initiatives to recover pavements, remove unauthorized parking spaces, and enforce sanitation bylaws throughout the capital include the continuing decongestion exercise.
Source: newsthemegh.com