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Thousands of Ghanaians have expressed desperation towards the unending power crisis through a demonstration organized by the New Patriotic Party on February 18, 2015 in Accra.
Government has issued many promises and timelines towards the end of the crisis, but they seem unfruitful. As the situation worsens, businesses and the everyday activities of Ghanaians are affected greatly.
The NPP has stated categorically that they won't relent but bring the ruling government to book and to keep them on their toes to solve the power situation facing the country.
As the huge crowd joined in the 'Won Gbo'[meaning - We are dying - in the Ga language] demonstration led by the NPP's flagbearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the National Organiser of the NPP said if government is refusing to listen to the complaints of Ghanaians, it is incumbent on them to stage the demonstration to express the feelings of the people.
"We are holding government accountable for not only 'Dumsor', but mismanagement due to incompetence, which has led to this worse kind of power situation never faced in this country," sweaty John Boadu explained in the middle of the demonstration on the sunny Wednesday morning.
The demonstrators were clad in Red and Black carrying placards which carried various messages directed at government. The messages included: 'No Light, No Bill', 'Drivers Are Suffering For Fuel', 'Mahama Must Go', 'Drop That Yam', 'Bitter Ghana' among others.
The demonstration gathered momentum when Nana Akufo-Addo joined the crowd at the Obra Spot at Kwame Nkrumah Circle.
The septuagenarian called for peace and calm during the demonstration which ended at the Hearts of Oak Park in Accra. It was peaceful and calm without any anomalies but for the detour in the routes approved by the Police.
Instead of using the route from Circle through to the Farisco Traffic Light junction to TUC Traffic Light and then use the Accra Polytechnic road to the Hearts Park, the huge crowd naturally digressed through to the Central Business District to Makola, Rawlings Park, Tema Station area before they assembled at the Hearts Park.
The Police, through the Greater Accra Regional Police Commander DCOP Christian Tetteh Yohunu, said they allowed the demonstrators to use the unapproved route to maintain the peace but will query the NPP leadership for answers.
Akufo-Addo ended the demonstration after 1pm in the company of his Vice, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and wife, Alan Kyeremanten, General Secretary of the NPP, Kwabena Agyapong among other leadership of the party.
He capped it off with a very short speech from his heavily guarded vehicle expressing gratitude to Ghanaians for coming out in their numbers to express displeasure with the current state of the nation.
His short speech was least expected by some of the demonstrators who were expecting more than a speech from the leader of the major opposition party in the country.
Esther Adjei, a seamstress from Alajo said: "At least he could have mounted a stage and addressed the problems we demonstrated against in detail".
Another displeased demonstrator, Mohammed Yussif, a spare parts dealer at Tudu in Accra said after walking for three hours, he would have been grateful for even a sachet of water, but nothing was offered them. "Even when I get home, I can't watch myself on TV because of 'Dumsor'," he said.