Stakeholders want government to take over disputed lands at Alavanyo/Nkonya, Tsito/Peki
Participants in a national stakeholders conference on disputed lands at Alavanyo/Nkonya and Tsito/Peki in the Volta Region have called on the government to take over the disputed lands through vesting.
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They said if it became necessary for a government takeover, a technical committee should be formed and tasked to come up with strategies to ensure that the state’s intervention would be beneficial to owners of the land through revenue generation from the use of the land and the formulation of alternative livelihood strategies that would engage all able-bodied persons in the conflict areas.
This was contained in a communique issued at the end of a day’s national forum for discussion of land issues within the Nkonya-Alavanyo and Peki-Tsito conflict areas organised by the Lands Commission at Ho last Monday.
The communique, however, emphasised the urgent need for peace to prevail and urged feuding parties to cease all hostilities and commit themselves to a lasting peace. It also said that a clearer appreciation of the methods employed by earlier peace initiatives must be obtained with the view to building on the gains attained and understanding the loopholes that led to their inability to achieve ultimate peace.
Earlier at the meeting, 22 identifiable groups made statements on the issue and its negative impact on the socio-economic lives of the people due to the age-long disputes.
While some of the groups called for the takeover of the disputed lands by the government, others argued that it was against the rule of law and that it could affect the electoral fortunes of the ruling government.
It will be recalled that Vice-President Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur announced that the government was considering taking over the disputed Alavanyo-Nkonya lands to end the protracted land conflict.
Participants
The groups that made presentations were the Regional Police Command, the Military Command, Evangelical Presbyterian (EP) Church, the Catholic Church, People’s National Convention (PNC), Volta Regional House of Chiefs, Convention People’s Party (CPP) and the Muslim Council.
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Others were the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), New Patriotic Party (NPP), National Democratic Congress (NDC), Volta Regional Peace Council and the Volta Parliamentary Caucus.
In a keynote address by the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Nii Osah Mills, and read on his behalf by his deputy, Ms Barbara Serwaah Asamoah, he stated that the state had the responsibility of protecting and securing the social order so as to ensure the enjoyment of rights and freedoms.
Directive principles of state policy
He also said it had the duty to secure the peace and security of the nation and protect the lives and property of the people and that to achieve this, the state was under obligation to take the necessary and pre-emptive measures to intervene in any dispute that had the potential to degenerate into conflicts that threatened the peace, security and stability of the nation.
Examples of government takeovers
Mr Mills recalled that the state had intervened by taking over lands at Nkawkaw being disputed over by the Obomeng and Atibie stools of Kwahu and managed these lands sharing revenue generated between the stools in question; that had made the disputants live in peace ever since.
He also cited the Winneba and Gomoa land disputes between the Efutu and Gomoa Ajumako stools and said although there were still some undercurrents, the two traditional areas had not resorted to violence again after the government takeover.
He further said the state control of lands in Brong Ahafo, Western Region and some lands in Kumasi had succeeded in warding off and stemming conflicts over the years.
Negative effect of land conflict in Volta Region
Mr Osae, therefore, said the conflicts in the Volta Region had extensively affected the people over the years and that one option left for stakeholders was to actively consider making a recommendation to consider an intervention in the matter by taking over and vesting all affected lands in the state to remove the basis for the conflict, which is the dispute over the ownership of the lands in question.
In an address, the National Chairman of the Lands Commission, Alhaji Bakari Sadique Nyawi, said the region was confronted with a problem of conflict over land that seemed to have defied all resolution measures so the commission could not stand aloof when land disputes still continued to hang over communities.