Agbogbloshie reclaimed land under siege - Scrap dealers, onion sellers occupy 80-acre land

Over 80 acres of land that the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council (GARCC) salvaged after the demolition of the Agbogbloshie scrapyard and the Onion Market four years ago are under siege.

The walled parcel of land, 15 acres of which have been earmarked for the construction of the Ablekuma Central Municipal Hospital, is being taken over by the scrap dealers, who have started staging a dramatic comeback.

Within two weeks, scores of scrap dealers had broken through the protective wall and started constructing wooden structures on the land with impunity.

A three-day surveillance by the Daily Graphic of the area revealed that various sections of the wall constructed around the parcel of land had been broken by the scrap dealers to enable them to gain access to put up their structures.

Between Sunday (January 19) and Tuesday (January 21), the Daily Graphic observed that about 100 unauthorised structures had sprung up while others were still being constructed.

While some carpenters, masons and other artisans were seen working to raise more structures, other well-built men had taken strategic positions and were watching over the works.

Also, wooden structures and metal containers have been placed behind the wall from the Abossey Okai Central Mosque area to the bridge over the Odaw River at Agbogbloshie.

Context

As part of its “Let’s Make Accra Work” initiative, the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council (GARCC), with the support of armed police personnel, stormed the Agbogbloshie Scrapyard on July 1, 2021, and demolished structures that hosted about 10,000 scrap dealers.

Armed with bulldozers, the team cleared all occupants of the 20-acre land and forcefully displaced the scrapyard workers. The demolition also affected the onion market in the same area.

All storage facilities and holding centres for scrap metal were destroyed. The only two buildings that remained were those erected by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and development partners.

It was reported that the onion traders had agreed to relocate to Adjen Kotoku, near Amasaman in Accra. However, the scrapyard was not supposed to be affected as no negotiations had happened.  

Political twist

Multiple and highly placed sources at the Old Fadama slum community told the Daily Graphic that the reconstruction of structures in the area started just a couple of days after the current President, John Dramani Mahama was sworn in as President.

“The people are claiming that if their party had been in power, they would not have been ejected from that parcel of land; and now that their President is back in power, they are coming back to occupy their rightful place on that land,” a source said, on condition of anonymity.

The Daily Graphic observed that a good number of the structures that were springing up had the flag of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) tied on them.

When the Daily Graphic spoke to some persons reconstructing the reclaimed Agbogbloshie scrapyard, they defended their actions, saying they were only reoccupying what had been forcefully taken away from them.

One of the individuals spearheading the reoccupation exercise, Rashid Moro, said they were putting up temporary structures in anticipation of full occupation of the area.

He explained that they intended to temporarily occupy the space while awaiting further directives from the government.

According to Mr Moro, they were awaiting the appointment of a new Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for the Ablekuma Central before formal engagement began for the eventual takeover.

“We are not here to stay permanently. The structures we have put up are temporary, and we are waiting for the government to appoint a new MCE for Ablekuma Central.

Once the MCE is appointed, we will engage with him to seek approval to remain on the land,” he stated.

Onion sellers 

However, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Onion Sellers Association, Ali Umar, said those who had reoccupied the land were not members of their association or onion traders who were displaced four years ago.

He said although the relocation of their business was initially a bitter pill to swallow, they had come to terms with the fact that the land belonged to the government and must remain as such regardless of which political party was in power.

According to him, the reoccupation of the land began shortly after the inauguration of the new administration and efforts by the association to address the situation had so far yielded little results.

“We realised people had reclaimed the land, so we approached the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ablekuma Central for assistance. Most of the individuals occupying the land are from the North.

When we confronted them, they boldly told us they would never leave the place,” he recounted.

Mr Umar also revealed the threats his members faced when they attempted to reclaim the land. We went there, and they pointed guns at our people,” he said.
 

Justified demolition

Meanwhile, the former Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey, who oversaw the demolition of the scrapyard, in an interview with the Daily Graphic on what he made of the comeback of the squatters, expressed concerns about the implications of reversing the relocation policy following the change in government.

“This is government land, and I worked in the territorial interest of the country.

We faced numerous challenges in the area, including crime, environmental hazards and health risks.

I made sure we addressed these issues to protect humanity and we should not go back to the old order,” he stressed.

Mr Quartey defended the decision to relocate the onion traders and other occupants.

He emphasised that the move was necessary to safeguard public health, reduce crime and protect government lands.

The former Minister for the Interior further said the relocation of the onion market and displacement of the dealers in the scrap metal business had helped to tackle significant challenges, including flooding caused by activities in the area, toxic emissions from scrap burning and traffic congestion.

“The toxic fumes emitted from that area were life-threatening, and we dredged the Odaw River to reduce flooding. We did it to save lives and humanity,” Mr Quartey stated.

Crime 

He revealed that criminal activities, including the stashing of arms and the burning of weapons, were prevalent in the area before the relocation.

“Their presence there was breeding crime and creating hazards to the land. If the new administration feels it’s okay for people to take over that land, then I have nothing to say,” he said.

Addressing accusations that the relocation was carried out forcefully, Mr Quartey refuted such claims, stressing that the process was well planned and executed humanely.

“I did not move them in a Rambo style. There was a process, and we ensured provisions were made to make them comfortable in their new location. Mechanisms were put in place for their welfare,” he explained.

Toxicity test

Explaining why the land was left bare after the reclamation, he said a soil test revealed high toxicity on the land, and the Environmental Protection Agency was put in charge of assessing and regenerating the soil to ensure the place became habitable.

Mr Quartey urged the media to critically examine the issue and hold the current administration accountable for any reoccupation of the area.

“The media should confront the facts. The shameful record of the area’s condition before the relocation has been erased because of the work we did,” he said.