Member of Parliament for Assin South, John Ntim Fordjour, has strongly criticized the Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr Frank Amoakohene, over his public outburst at firefighters during the Adum fire outbreak in Kumasi.

Reacting to the minister’s frustration at the scene, Ntim Fordjour questioned the government’s financial priorities, arguing that better funding could have improved the Ghana National Fire Service’s (GNFS) response capacity.

“The Ghc2.7 billion allocated to Government Machinery, including the Ghc78.8 million allocated to Kwakye Ofosu’s one-man ministry of government communications for chop chop, couldn’t half of that if saved and allocated to Ghana National Fire Service, be utilized for the procurement of state-of-the-art quantum fire tenders and sophisticated fire fighter equipment to promptly and effectively deal with fire incidents in Ghana?”

The MP further suggested that the root cause of the fire could be linked to the current power crisis in Kumasi, commonly referred to as dumsor, placing responsibility on the government.

“I have just two questions for him: 1. Would the fire have started if dumsor had not returned to Kumasi with his government? 2.

The Ghc2.7 billion allocated to Government Machinery, including the Ghc78.8 million allocated to Kwakye Ofosu’s one-man ministry of government communications for chop chop, couldn’t half of that if saved and allocated to Ghana National Fire Service, be utilized for the procurement of state-of-the-art quantum fire tenders and sophisticated fire fighter equipment?”

Calling for action over rhetoric, he urged the government to prioritize public safety over wastage of state resources.

“They should stop the ranting and lamentations and prioritize public safety over ‘create, loot, and chop.’ Ghana is all we have! My sincere sympathies to the affected traders.”

The fire at Adum, which gutted a commercial building near the central market, caused significant losses for traders.

The Ashanti Regional Minister had confronted firefighters at the scene, questioning the availability of water in their tenders, sparking reactions from the public and officials alike.

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