Ms. Melvina Frimpong Manso, a radio presenter in Sunyani, has stated that Ghanaians need proper roads and not proper burials for the country to benefit from the contributions of its authorities.
She, therefore, requested responsible state entities like the Ministry of Roads and Highways as well as the Departments of Urban and Feeder Roads to be active and take their responsibilities to fix the terrible, dangerous roads in the country.
Ms. Frimpong Manso, main host of “Urban Breeze” and “Showbiz 971” programs in Suncity FM, a Sunyani-based Radio Station, made the plea during an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Sunday in Sunyani about the sudden death of Ms. Priscilla Opoku-Kwarteng. Ms. Priscilla was well known as Ebony Reigns, a gifted Ghanaian music artist.
The famous female artiste whose real name is Nana Hemaa would be turning 21 on Friday, February 16, 2018. Unfortunately, she was involved in a road accident at Nyamebekyere, Ashanti Region on the Sunyani-Kumasi highway on the night of Thursday, February 8, 2018.
The singer and two others, among them military personnel were riding a four-wheel jeep car (registration number AS 497-16) from Sunyani to Accra to emplane to the USA to perform a show when the vehicle had a head-on collision with a KIA VIP bus heading towards Sunyani.
Ms. Frimpong added that Ghana needed safe roads to prevent unnecessary road accidents to save lives and property, else the nation might be losing its human resource of various distinctive qualities and talents that were important for faster national development.
She said that the sudden death of Ebony is saddening because Ghana someone who would have put its name on the world music map.
Ms. Frimpong, also the Head of Marketing of Suncity Radio Limited complained that the accident could have been avoided if the road had been fixed, but due to someone’s carelessness, the unexpected death had happened.
Ms. Frimpong asked if only her Ebony’s name was being mentioned despite dying with two others because she was a tremendous Ghanaian asset in the music industry. She added that the two other victims were also Ghanaians of particular significance to the country and their families.
She urged the government and the Police Administration that if investigation about the accident had not started, that must be done immediately because nobody knows how many ‘Ebonies’ have died on that spot.
Ms. Frimpong suggested the investigation should also focus on who was the road contractor that fixed that portion of the road and how long the sand been left there instead of the pedestrian walkway.
She stressed the need for the investigation by a team of experts from the Motor Traffic and Transport Department of the Ghana Police Service and Ghana Road Safety Commission because apparently the driver of the Jeep and the bus passengers are saying different things. Therefore, that investigation must be done for the pieces of evidence about the accident to come out.