Somanya landowners on warpath with Municipal Assembly
The Association of Landowners at Somanya has cautioned the Yilo Krobo Municipal Assembly (YKMA) to stop forthwith any attempts to use lands belonging to its members at Akweteman, a suburb in the municipality to supposedly build a sports stadium.
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The association noted that the YKMA took advantage of Article 20(1) (a) of the constitution regarding the state acquisition of private lands to grab “the vast land at Akweteman without going through the due processes for its ownership. According to the association, the land in question, measuring about 90 acres, belonged to 40 individual landowners.
These were disclosed by the association at a well-attended press conference in Somanya who it presented a 19-point petition adopted and signed by executive members of the group.
Petition
In the petition, the landowners stated among others that the wrongful action by the YKMA of attempting to forcibly take over possession of the land from them without going through proper channels of negotiation and agreed payment of compensation to the landowners as provided in Article 20 clause (2) of the 1992 constitution, was not tenable.
The landlords stated further that they would consider attempts by the assembly to go onto the land as trespassing and would vehemently resist any such move.
“This should not be taken as playing politics and we shall fight for our rights until the proper thing is done
“After all, the owners of the lands in question cut across political lines in the country,” the statement added.
A member of the association, Numo Keklebisi Apana, said in 1979, the late Eric Kofi Akwete and one Mathias Tetteh mooted the idea to establish a private sports stadium. He said the two contacted him for land for that purpose following which he also contacted other landowners in the area. He said after the land was made available an agreement was signed between the landowners and the initiators of the stadium project.
He said later, the YKMA, using political influence, pushed the two instigators of the idea for a stadium aside and began negotiating with the landowners. He said an agreement was subsequently reached with the assembly with regards to the payment of compensation but till date, the assembly had failed to fulfil its part of the agreement.
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Call for dialogue
According to the group, since 2008, it had written many letters (copies of which were shown to the press) to the YKMA calling for dialogue and a fresh understanding of the issues at stake but the assembly had remained adamant.
When the Daily Graphic contacted the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Yilo Krobo, Mr Andrews Sodah, for his side of the story, he confirmed the issue but stated that there was no cause for alarm. He explained that the individual landowners had been identified by the assembly and that the Town and Country Planning Department of the assembly was working assiduously on the compensation package to be paid to the landowners whose property had been acquired for the stadium project.
He has, under the circumstances therefore, appealed to the landowners to remain calm as their grievances were being addressed.