Suhum landowners fail to block road

Landowners in Suhum who threatened to block the Accra-Kumasi highway Monday to register their frustration at the non-payment of compensation failed to carry out their threat.

They issued the threat following the appropriation of their lands and properties to make way for the rehabilitation of the Apedwa-Kwafokrom stretch of the Accra-Kumasi highway.

When the Daily Graphic visited Suhum yesterday, there was no sign of a blockade of the busy highway.

Efforts to contact the leader of the landowners, Mr Kwabena Owusu Dome, who is also the Managing Director of Kasapa Sawmills at Okorase-Suhum, proved futile.

Four months ago, the aggrieved landowners blocked the road near Kwafokrom to demand the payment of compensation but the Suhum Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Samuel Fleischer-Kwabi, led the police to clear the roadblock.

Responding to the threat from the landowners, Mr Fleischer-Kwabi warned them to desist from blocking the road, saying it was illegal to block a road to demand the payment of compensation.

He said he was surprised at the threat because the landowners had had a meeting with representatives of the assembly and other high officials from Accra only two weeks ago.

He said at that meeting, the landowners had been assured that payment would be made and entreated them to exercise restraint.

According to the MCE, the landowners were told that since the government had just appointed sector ministers responsible for the payment, it would have to delay a bit because the ministers had not yet fully settled down.

“We made it clear that payment would delay a bit because the new sector ministers have to settle down before effecting payment, to which they agreed. So it has come as a surprise that they intend to use illegal means to address the issue,” Mr Fleischer-Kwabi stated.

Story: A. Kofoya Tetteh