GYANDU PARK FENCE WALL IS DEATH TRAP (PAGE 25)

The fence around Gyandu Park in Sekondi, which is supposed to protect the park from intruders, has become a death trap to visitors to the park, as well as residents and schoolchildren around it.
The wall has developed deep cracks but look good from a distance. Prior to the Ghana 2008 tournament, the walls were painted to conceal the cracks. But at the moment, the cracks have become more visible and need urgent attention.
Instead of pulling the fence down, Sports Council officials have rather written on the wall boldly “Weak Wall, Keep Off” to warn residents.
There is the opinion that Ghanaians are very good at putting up structures, but fail to maintain them and the state of the walls and the inner structures of the stadium clearly buttresses this view that the culture of maintenance is lacking.
What is dangerous is that the weak walls provide shade for some residents or schoolchildren when the weather is hot.
Most people, especially schoolchildren, normally sit on the wall to watch football at the primary school park adjacent to the Gyandu Park.
The warning is not enough; this is because there are schools behind the stadium and schoolchildren use the surrounding areas for games during play time.
Young men also use the surroundings as a park on which they play football, and as a result many football enthusiasts troop to the place to watch them play.
Those who watch the children play feel more comfortable sitting behind the weak walls of the park and in the event of any accident the casualties would be high.
Aside the people exposing themselves to danger outside the stadium, those within the stadium are not spared either. At present the stadium is very much in use, as teams in the region are playing their qualifying matches for the premiership league later this year.
Almost every weekend, there is a matc h, either a friendly or a qualifying game, at the Gyandu Park.
Some of the residents told the Daily Graphic that they had foreseen the danger and draw the attention of the authorities to it, but they did not seem to care and called for its immediate demolition to save life.
“It is not everybody who can read or write and most of our women from the beach sometimes stand in the shade either to wait for their colleagues or have a little chat. If the unexpected happens, the poor women and children, as well as passers-by will lose their lives,” the residents said.
Mr Kwaku M. Sam, a resident, said if the Sports Council or whoever was in charge of the stadium did not have money to construct a new wall, it would be better to pull the wall down instead of allowing it go down on innocent members of the public.
“In the community where people find it difficult to read, how many of them know or will understand the message the Sports Council is trying to put across?” he asked.
He recalled that Essipun had a modern stadium because the ground at the Gyandu Park was said to be too soft and needed to be well compacted to make it suitable for matches to be played on.
According to Mr Sam, if the people were aware of the soft nature of the ground and then went ahead to post a caution sign on the wall for all this while, then it could be referred to as an act of irresponsibility.
Should any fatal accident occurs when the wall collapses, somebody must be held responsible.