Dr Omane Boamah [L] and Stan Dogbey have been criticised for their lack of empathy
A member of the Communications Team of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Tabitha Ayillah, has heavily criticised Deputy Chief of Staff Stan Dogbe and Minister of Defence Dr. Edward Omane Boamah for their apparent lack of empathy toward victims of Sunday’s floods.
The two government appointees have come under heavy criticism after choosing to discuss football on their social media platforms at a time when parts of the public were stranded and others displaced following five hours of heavy rainfall in Accra.
Their failure to use their platforms to sympathise with struggling Ghanaians was roundly condemned by many netizens.
Speaking during a panel discussion on Metro TV on Monday, May 19, 2025, Tabitha Ayillah said the two politicians should learn to show concern for the very Ghanaians who stood in queues for hours to vote them into power.
“Where is the empathy from people who should be concerned about the livelihoods of Ghanaians? I say this because the Chairman of the anti-flood committee set up by the President, who is also the Deputy Chief of Staff, Stan Dogbe, and the Minister for Defence, Dr. Omane Boamah, were on social media talking about football while people had no place to sleep and others were struggling to get home after going out.
“You have these insensitive people, who hold sensitive positions in this administration, talking about football on their social media handles. I just checked their profiles to see if they had issued any statement to empathise with the people or to outline plans to address the situation—I saw nothing.
“And you ask yourself: are these the leaders we chose to govern this country? We saw the charade; we saw them in an aircraft claiming to be doing feasibility studies or whatever, all funded by taxpayers. Yet, when the people are in need, they are on social media talking about football. It is sad and shameful that those we call our leaders engage in such behavior.”
Heavy rainfall on Sunday, May 18, 2025, brought Accra and its surrounding municipalities to a standstill leaving three people dead.
The downpour, which began around 3:00 pm and lasted over three hours, flooded neighborhoods including Ofankor Barrier, Weija, Kaneshie, Labadi, First Light, Dzorwulu, Adabraka, Adentan-Dodowa, and parts of Tema. Severe flooding was reported in the Adjei-Kojo Kanewu area of the Tema West Municipality.
Major roads were rendered inaccessible, including the stretch between Awudome Roundabout and Awudome Cemetery, with the Obetsebi Lamptey Interchange completely submerged.
Several vehicles broke down in the floodwaters, forcing local youth to step in and assist stranded drivers, helping to prevent accidents near open drains and potholes hidden beneath the water.
The situation worsened during the evening rush hour, leaving many commuters stranded for hours.
Where is the empathy? It’s sad and shameful – Tabitha Ayillah vents at Stan Dogbe & Omane Boamah for discussing footbal amid #AccraFloods#GoodMorningGhana #MetroTV pic.twitter.com/cuabWNwtJW
— Metro TV Ghana (@metrotvgh) May 19, 2025
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After the heavy rains over the weekend, a lot of debris have been left across many parts of Accra. Watch some of the destructions below: