A group calling itself the National Concerned Spare Parts Dealers has threatened to demonstrate in two weeks if the government fails to rescind its decision to relocate them from Abossey Okai to Afienya.
The Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council has served notice of effecting the relocation as part of efforts to decongest the capital.
This move, according to the Regional Minister, Henry Quartey, follows an agreement with the leadership of the spare parts dealers.
But the National Concerned Spare Parts Dealers say the leaders negotiating on their behalf lack capacity.
At a press conference on Tuesday, the Public Relations Officer of the group, Takyi Addo, expressed the resolve of the group to resist the relocation.
“The supposed executives who agreed to the relocation Abossey Okai proposed by the government are interim executives. Their tenure of office has long expired. They had no authority to speak on our behalf and their views are not a reflection of ours.”
“The attempt by the government through the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council is an affront to our trading activities. We will vehemently resist every attempt by the government to relocate us from Abossey Okai. We are giving the government two weeks to reverse the decision, else we will hit the streets.”
He urged the government to rather come up with proposals that will help their businesses to thrive, “instead of these unnecessary ones.”
The Abossey Okai Spare Parts Dealers Association, on the other hand, said the agitations are being fuelled by landlords who fear their businesses will collapse should the spare part dealers be relocated.
“Those that are agitating against this project are those who have put up shops here and have investments, there are about 20 of them. These individuals are hiding behind the so-called National Concerned Spare Parts dealers, who are about 5 in number. We wonder why they can’t come out but have to hide behind to air their grievances.”
“When this issue started and the landlords approached us about the fate of the investment we allayed their fears, explaining that not all the traders are being forced out, some people will remain here.”
