NDC Organizer Sparks Fury: Residents Should ‘Fix’ Unmotorable Adenta-Lakeside Road Themselves, Says Anthony Nukpenu
Anthony Nukpenu, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Greater Accra Regional Organizer, has ignited a firestorm of criticism after suggesting that frustrated residents of the Adenta-Lakeside area should take matters into their own hands and repair the dilapidated road themselves, rather than endlessly complaining to the government.
In a viral clip from a live radio discussion on EkosiiSen, Nukpenu argued that the Mahama administration is prioritizing “economically viable” infrastructure projects amid limited resources.
“If the road is unmotorable, the people should organise themselves and fix it; we like complaining in Ghana too much,” Nukpenu fumed during the broadcast, emphasizing that citizens must share the burden of development. “Government is now focusing on economically viable roads,” he added, implying that the Adenta-Lakeside stretch—plagued by potholes, flooding, and daily gridlock—doesn’t qualify for immediate state intervention.
The remarks, shared widely on X (formerly Twitter) via a 3-minute-20-second video clip, have drawn sharp backlash from commuters, activists, and even fellow NDC supporters who view them as a tone-deaf deflection of governmental responsibility.
Frequent users of the 12-kilometer highway, which links Greater Accra’s eastern suburbs to key economic hubs like the Tema Motorway, report that travel times have ballooned from 10 minutes to over 30 due to craters and erosion, exacerbating costs for drivers and businesses in a region contributing 25% to Ghana’s GDP.
“As someone who frequently uses the highways to Lakeside stretch, I’m beyond furious… Who tf do we pay our taxes to?” vented commuter Charlotte Nicole on X, capturing the sentiment echoed in over 3,000 views of her post.
Another user, Onipa Nua, mocked the advice with a sarcastic quote: “Stop complaining!! You can come together and fix your roads. Mahama Government can’t do it all.”
Mr. Irish, an NPP communicator, amplified the clip to highlight perceived NDC hypocrisy, noting, “This is the NDC Greater Accra Regional Organizer slamming residents for complaining about bad roads.”
Nukpenu’s comments come amid escalating pressure on the nine-month-old Mahama administration to address a GH¢15 billion road maintenance backlog inherited from the prior NPP government, as outlined in the 2025 budget’s infrastructure allocation of GH¢8.2 billion—prioritizing trunk roads like the Accra-Kumasi highway over secondary urban links.
The Adenta-Lakeside road, constructed in the 1990s and last resurfaced in 2018, has deteriorated further due to unchecked drainage failures and heavy trucking, mirroring nationwide woes where 60% of urban roads are rated poor by the Ministry of Roads and Highways.
While Nukpenu’s call for community self-help echoes initiatives like the Ghana Highways Authority’s Adopt-a-Road program, critics argue it shifts blame from policy failures, such as delayed funding and contractor disputes, onto ordinary citizens already strained by a 25% inflation rate.9edd21 As of Monday evening, the original clip had garnered 239 views and 10 likes, with replies ranging from calls for Nukpenu’s resignation to defenses framing his words as pragmatic realism in a resource-scarce economy.
The NDC Greater Accra chapter has yet to respond, but the controversy underscores simmering tensions over infrastructure equity in Ghana’s capital, where peri-urban growth outpaces development, leaving residents caught between potholes and politics.
