Let’s join hands to protect airport lands

The Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) has expressed its determination to remove all encroachers on its lands to pave the way for the smooth implementation of its expansion project aimed at making the airport a hub in the sub-region.

According to the GACL, it would not countenance any manipulation from any quarters, adding that it would move to remove the encroachers using various means, including Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and court action, where necessary.

This is the resolve of the new Chief Executive Officer of the company, Mr John Dekyem Attafuah, who gave the warning in an interview with the GRAPHIC BUSINESS in Accra exactly a week ago.

Land grabbing in the country, particularly in prime areas, has become the order of the day. This unfortunate phenomenon has thrived because of the personalities involved in that disgraceful act.

It is a known fact that the act is perpetrated by people in government, who should know better, and high ranking officials in the security services whose mandate it is to ensure law and order.

In their quest to ward off the legal owners of the lands they have illegally taken, the perpetrators arm thugs with offensive weapons to enable them to guard what they have stolen in broad daylight.

This practice can be found not only on GACL lands but also many other places, including Achimota School lands which, report say, are mostly taken by some old students in influential places.

Lands around Ridge and Cantonments in Accra are all taken over by estate developers who use all manner of means to acquire the lands while the authorities look on unconcerned.

The Graphic Business finds this illegality perpetrated by personalities who should know better most unfortunate and unacceptable.

In the case of airport lands, the government, many years ago, thought it wise to acquire that large stretch of land so that in case there is the need to expand the airport, the country would not be found wanting. Again, the land has been isolated to ensure that in the event of any accident, many lives would not be lost.

We believe that this act of greed and the use of brute force to take what does not belong to us must stop because it is fast becoming a phenomenon eating into the social fabric of our dear country.

The paper fully supports the intended action of the CEO of the GACL to retrieve state lands meant for a good cause. We trust that his action is intended to benefit all and sundry and not just a few greedy ones.

We are aware that he is likely to face some major hurdles, as some of the illegal occupants of the airport lands will use all manner of means to protect what they have stolen from the state.

We urge the government to step in to enable the GACL to retrieve what belongs to the country. We can only make the country an aviation hub if we have the land to embark on expansion projects that befits the status we intend to see.