Apiate town to be reconstructed within 12 months – Deputy Lands Minister

The Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Benito Owusu-Bio, has disclosed that the Apiate community will be reconstructed within a period of 12 months.

According to him, the town will be a green, sustainable and model community.

The Deputy Minister said this at the burial ceremony of seven victims of the Apiate explosion which was held on Friday, March 11.

“This is sad and we hope and pray this doesn’t reoccur but as we cry and mourn the dead, we also have to keep in mind that there are others alive who need to be sheltered as soon as possible and we are committed to do this within the shortest possible time,” he said.

The seven victims laid in state during the burial ceremony were, Ekua Nyame, 80, Isaac Benyin, 45, Isaac Anane 35, Emmanuel Quainoo, 29, Justice Kwesi Takwa 21, Michael Afriyie 19, and 15 months old baby, Ella Baidoo.

Mr Owusu-Bio, who led a government delegation to the burial ceremony, extended the government’s condolences to the bereaved families.

“We are here on behalf of the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and my Sector Minister, who are on an equally important official duty in Dubai, to sympathize with you in this hard time. They send their heartfelt condolences to the Chiefs, people and all the bereaved families. We know this is hard but do take heart.”

Mr Owusu-Bio on behalf of the Ministry and its agencies donated an amount of GH₵30,000 to support the burial and funeral rites as well as the bereaved families.

According to the disaster relief committee, four of the other six victims out of the total 13, were laid to rest last weekend while the remaining two, namely; Emmanuel Awingura, 24, and Eric Gyimah, 24, will be given a private burial by their families in their respective birth homes in the coming days.

The mass burial ceremony, which took place at the explosion site at Apiate , a suburb of Bogoso in the Western Region, also had in attendance, the Board Chairperson of the Minerals Commission, Hon. Barbara Oteng-Gyasi, Municipal Chief Executive for Prestea Huni-Valley, Dr. Isaac Dasmani, MP for Prestea Huni-Valley Constituency, Robert Wisdom Cudjoe and other mourners from home and abroad.