POTHOLES EPIDEMIC

Kwesi Yankah

Traveling from Accra to Koforidua through Aburi last Saturday, I had chosen a friendly route
enabling me to wind my way up Aburi mountains, descend by Peduase Lodge then enjoy the
long stretch to Mamfe before turning towards my desAnaAon. The smooth ride suddenly gave
way at Mamfe, handing me over to a conAngent of prickly potholes that welcomed me and
burst into prolonged laughter in mockery of my self-delusion. The Potholes Command gave
me a rough and jumpy ride all the way to Koforidua.

The GPS technology I am learning to use had said I was 15 kilometers away, forgeIng to add,
‘Potholes Allowing.’ Close to Adawso, five or six boys of school going age, an Ananse
workforce were having a field day. They hurriedly scooped soil from the bush sprinkling it
across a few potholes, then stretched their hands for a Ap. In aNerthought, I realized the boys
were probably requesAng their fair share of the road fund.

The story is same almost countrywide: Accra to Dodowa: potholes. Road constructed in 2015,
potholes; 2016, potholes; even 2020, potholes; Mankron JuncAon-Akwakwaa, box holes;
Nsawam-Asamankese, road-caves, Winneba-Swedru, potholes; Swedru-Akroso, chamber
pots. Who are these pothole constructors? 2019, I confronted a Chinese contractor working
on the Bawjiase-Swedru stretch. He had used mud as his base over one kilometer from
Mankron juncAon. Vehicles plying the road were dancing on foam only a week aNer job
compleAon. I confronted the skinny manager, and posed him a query almost ready to throw
a blow. Would he use mud as his base, to construct roads in China? I fumed, picked my phone
and reported him to Cape Coast urban roads. Within a week, he was compelled to scrape all
work done, and redo.

But driving across the country and noAcing the canker country-wide, drivers have learned to
cope. When dodging a pothole, and an oncoming vehicle is smaller, keep moving since you
haven’t seen it. Driver may politely yield or step into the bush out of respect for seniors. In a
few unfortunate cases, an insolent driver may point a sour thumb at you, but don’t worry. If
oncoming vehicle is a Apper truck, kindly beat a quick retreat into your lane, humming the
song, ‘it is well with my soul.’

In case of a mulAple spread of potholes ahead and around, consider yourself trapped in enemy
territory. You are under siege; but do not panic. Simply glide gently and soNly along. Rough
ride on steep potholes could be suicidal. Go gently and ride rough only when persuasion has
failed. But watch out for hidden caves and box holes concealed and camouflaged in rainy
seasons. Careless trampling may rouse them from sleep and delay your trip. Where mulAple
potholes come in rapid succession don’t be tempted to zoom across. The enAre frame of your
jalopy may quake and rable; car tyres and ‘shocks’ may wail and writhe in pain. It is however
the passengers that suffer the most. Stomach entrails toss and turn; empty tummies twirl
and growl. If your accompanying luggage includes hot oily meals, be ready to suffer casualAes.
ANer the rocky stretch, just check your soup bowl in the booth (or rather ‘boot.’) Palm oil may
have spilled, dribbling its way around the lid. If you are a diarrhea paAent, please exercise
divine self-control. Clasp your hand in prayer. Providence may listen to your prayer and give
you a safe and dry passage.

To curtail all this unforeseen trauma, should the Roads ministry not put up warning signs at
vantage points such as. “Pot holes ahead: please Aghten your seatbelt.” Or “Approaching 400
meters of potholes: prayer warriors please take note.”

Where all this fails, you sAll have an opAon. As a good ciAzen, don’t hesitate to drive or walk
to your Member of Parliament, DCE, Assembly man and say, ‘Eeeeeebei, Really? Yoo. Thank
You’ and walk away. They will understand your coded message.

No wonder pickeAng and demonstraAons are visible from day to day on local TV channels.
Roads are blocked by angry youths, with elders and chiefs wrapped in red, and singing with
red eye balls: ‘Y’ani bre, y’ani abre koor… Y’ani abre y’ani abre koor…’ In all this, a fair number
of protestors are known allies of the ruling party but care less; demos about shoddy roads
compel our big men to sit up. Happily, even though eyes are red in such protests, no damage
is caused to property. The local liquor is oNen not in abendance; you can tell from the odorless
breath from song choruses.

In all these protests, we probably don’t consider the other side of the story: retail traders
praying for more potholes and shoddy roads so they can do brisk business. Ask traders at
Adoagyiri and A1 bread sellers. Potholes may be bad for drivers, but best for sellers of ‘brodo’,
‘atwommor,’ ‘pooloo,’ ‘bofrot,’ ‘tsofi,’ boiled groundnuts. Let the DCE spread bitumen surface
and smoothen the roads, bread sellers and friends may silently protest, stopping short of
saying ‘please, bring back the potholes.’
Go to several villages across Ghana. The pain of potholes is someAmes reversed through a
twist of local mischief. Where they grow bigger, village potholes are converted to refuse
dumps by youth Samaritans; and passing drivers may even say thank you.

My greatest eye-opener was at a village close to Asikuma in the Volta region on your way to
Hohoe. A few years ago, our vehicle and others got stuck in a muddy trench aNer a heavy
downpour; and we had to take turns to be pushed to safety. As four boys rolled their sleeves
and pushed our vehicle, one of them made a confession on one side of his lips.

“Massa, during the rainy season that’s how we also eat. ANer a heavy rain, we come in the
night and dig trenches in the muddy waters. That way vehicles get trapped, and we get our
job. As we push the vehicles, we get money to buy food for the day.” We listened wide-eyed.

Meanwhile, we have a ubiquitous minister for roads and highways, who has all the soluAons
and nobody else. His typical work gear is a large straw hat signaling crisis on hand. A bridge
collapses in Tamale: here comes Hon Amoako Aba. Accra-Tema motor way project delays:
Amoako Aba. Shoddy work by road contractors, Amoako Aba yells at them. Kasoa-Winneba
road construcAon: Amoako Aba. Swedru-Oda road struggling for years: Amoako Aba’s fault.
Adeiso-Swedru road: ‘Where can I get Amoako Aba.’ Potholes on Mamfe-Koforidua road: ‘can
we see Amoako Aba? Potholes behind my window in Accra: ‘where is Amoako Aba?’ The man
is never seen in normal Ames. We are currently wrapped in a naAonal crisis that requires
frequent sighAng of the Minister’s straw hat.

In all this however, let it not be said Ghana’s Pothole epidemic, including that behind my
window, was waiAng for one soluAon which has now arrived.

The IMF Loan.

kwyankah@yahoo.com