The scare of an abandoned tower

Since the earthquake that struck Turkey a few months ago and killed over 50,000 people including ghanaian football star Stephen Atsu, many people in Accra whose daily chores find them near the abandoned tower building along the la beach road continue to ask questions about their safety.

La beach towers

La beach towers

On a visit to the tower site, one Abdul, a security man who was the only employee round regretted that work on the building had stopped. “This building was meant for a beach front apartment. It would have been nice if it was completed. He pointed to the car park where the sea water had flooded the ground

A trotro driver who calls himself Mr. Convict said he drove past the storey building many times each day as he took his passengers to and from Tsui Bleoo from Kwame Nkrumah Circle. “I sometimes see ghosts when using this road at night”. Mr. Convict said the tall tower sometimes put fear in him knowing that it could topple over at any time.

Maame Ama a resident of La had said that this building looks like a death trap to her and that she did not feel comfortable standing in front of it to board a car every morning to work. “I do not know why this thing is still here. I have always had the fear of this building falling on me one day,” she said, Maame Ama said it was not her desire to stand there but from her house to the bus stop was far and standing over there enabled her catch a quick car to work every morning.

Nii Okunkah, a coffin maker who has his workshop at the left end of the road next to the tower said he was only a carpenter who wakes every morning to do his job and prayed that “anytime this thing is would collapse, it should not be when I’m around”.

“We do not know how this building came up, all we know is that it has been here for long,” said Ghetto Master who hangs around the vicinity. “This is where we do sit to take fresh air, smoke and share ideas”. He said expressed the wish that “if this thing should collapse one day, it should fall onto the beach and not on us”.

The 17-storey tower of apartments which is believed to be co-owned by the late J.B Danquah, former MP, has been left idle since 2016 and left to the mercyof seasprayfromtheAtlantic Ocean which washes the beach less than 100 metres away. From a distance, the giant edifice looks like it would tumble over with only a slight tremor.

 Mrs. Lartey an official at the La Dadekotopon Municipal Assembly (LADMA) who spoke to this reporter said the building is covered by a valid permit. “There is nothing we can do about it” she said. “The plan of the building was brought and stamped and the permit was granted”. She disclosed that there had been several expressions of fear over the structural integrity of the building but only the government can do something about it.

 An elderly resident of La, Nuumo, had a spiritual explanation about why he project has stalled. He said that the seven-acre piece of land on which the tower has been built belongs to a snake goddess. “If you live close to the area, you would notice how heavily charged the atmosphere is. Anything that is done on that land will not prosper”.

Nuumo said that every year during the Homowo festival the chiefs and traditional priests come around to make sacrifices. He contended that gradually the snake would swallow the building or it might even collapse all together.

On a visit to the tower site, one Abdul, a security man who was the only employee round regretted that work on the building had stopped. “This building was meant for a beach front apartment. It would have been nice if it was completed. He pointed to the car park where the sea water had flooded the ground

A trotro driver who calls himself Mr. Convict said he drove past the storey building many times each day as he took his passengers to and from Tsui Bleoo from Kwame Nkrumah Circle. “I sometimes see ghosts when using this road at night”. Mr. Convict said the tall tower sometimes put fear in him knowing that it could topple over at any time.

Maame Ama a resident of La had said that this building looks like a death trap to her and that she did not feel comfortable standing in front of it to board a car every morning to work. “I do not know why this thing is still here. I have always had the fear of this building falling on me one day,” she said, Maame Ama said it was not her desire to stand there but from her house to the bus stop was far and standing over there enabled her catch a quick car to work every morning.

Nii Okunkah, a coffin maker who has his workshop at the left end of the road next to the tower said he was only a carpenter who wakes every morning to do his job and prayed that “anytime this thing is would collapse, it should not be when I’m around”.

“We do not know how this building came up, all we know is that it has been here for long,” said Ghetto Master who hangs around the vicinity. “This is where we do sit to take fresh air, smoke and share ideas”. He said expressed the wish that “if this thing should collapse one day, it should fall onto the beach and not on us.