9th May, 2017
The Minister for Youth and Sports, Hon. Isaac Kwame Asiamah has called on Ghanaians to use the grievous occasion of the May 9th Stadium Disaster to unite as one people with democratic spirit of tolerance, forbearance and forgiveness as a resolve to never see a repeat of that unfortunate incident in our country.
The Sports Minister was speaking at a solemn ceremony to commemorate the 16th anniversary of the May 9th Stadium Disaster where 127 spectators lost their lives with several others injured.
As we reflect soberly over what is obviously the darkest day in football in the history of Ghana sports, the Minister disclosed a possible closure of the Accra Sports Stadium, which is now a potential death trap for the needed maintenance works.
This according to Hon. Isaac Asiamah is to ensure that what happened on May 9, 2001 will never happen again.
The Sports Minister urged sports loving Ghanaians to embrace the tenets of sportsmanship which encourage promotion of peace, unity and national identity.
It would be recalled that after the gruesome disaster on 9th May,2001, the Government of Ghana on the 5th day of August 2001, issued a Trust Deed under which a Board of Trustees was established with the responsibilities and powers to manage the Accra Sports Stadium Disaster Fund for the benefit of the education of the children of school-going age of the deceased victims. This was to cover Pre-nursery to Senior High School.
The Secretary of the Board, Mr. Christopher Annan, disclosed that, as at this academic year Sixty-one (61) children of the deceased are in school at different levels of education;15 at the Basic School level, 32 in Senior High School and 8 at the Tertiary level (7 have already completed tertiary education with one of them pursuing his PHD).
Mr. Annan further stated that, aside paying fees of beneficiaries and some of their other needs, the Board frequently interact and show them much of the required human touch.
The Secretary to the Trustee therefore urged all students beneficiaries to endeavor to complete their education at their respective stages.