Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has called for strict adherence to building regulations and greater accountability following the collapse of a building at Avenor in North Kaneshie, near Melcom Plus
She made the remarks on Sunday, June 7, when she visited the scene of the incident, where one person has been confirmed dead and two others remain trapped under the debris as rescue efforts continue.
Speaking to journalist, she stressed that many such incidents are preventable if stakeholders consistently do the right thing and comply with established rules and safety standards.
She noted that while rules may not always be popular, they are essential for order and safety, adding that failure to enforce them often leads to avoidable tragedies.
“There are many things we can all prevent, and it is about doing the right things—we know them. We don’t need to wait. As we are standing here, we are being told that somebody is trapped in there. Why should this happen?
“So please, all I am saying is that let us abide by the rules. I said only yesterday or so that rules may not always make sense, and nobody likes them, but we need rules. Otherwise, nothing will function” she said.
The Vice President further called for thorough investigations into the collapse and urged all responsible parties to cooperate fully with accountability processes.
She emphasized the need to learn from the incident to prevent similar occurrences in the future, insisting that collective responsibility is key to safeguarding lives and property.
“And we need to do proper investigation. We must all open ourselves to be held to account. It’s all of us. This really maybe needn’t have happened. But what could we have done? What do we do to ensure that going forward, we are not seeing many like these? We all know the right things to do. Let us make them possible” she added.
