Private developer builds toilet on school compound

A private developer is encroaching on the land of the Ghana-Lebanon Islamic Secondary School, opposite the Odaw Railway Station near the Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra.
The private developer is putting up structures to be used as a public bath and toilet on a portion of the land in front of the school, which is used as a playground by the school and community.
The Director of the school, Mr Ali Soualah, has therefore appealed to the Greater Accra Regional Minister and the Ghana Railways Authority to help stop the encroachment.
The Director made the appeal when the Daily Graphic visited the school to verify the truth of the allegations.
Mr Soualah stressed that if the said facility was allowed to progress it would disrupt academic work at the school and pose serious environmental concern to the community. The director said the problem had been reported to the Greater Accra Regional Minister and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, the Sub-metro director, Lands Commissioner and the Chief Engineer of the Ghana Railways Company.
He said an official delegation visited the site during the Easter holidays to stop the work but the developers continued to stockpile construction materials at the site in defiance of the order to stop work.
The structure which is at the foundation stage is being constructed on a Ghana Railway demarcated land and under an electric pylon.
When contacted the Station Manager of the Odaw Railways Station, Mr Reynolds Quansah, told the Daily Graphic that the Ghana Railways Authority had not released any portion of its land to any private developer.
Mr Quansah said when he was informed about the activity of the developers, he quickly contacted the police to prevent them from going ahead with the work.
When the police went there the workers on the site left and he was therefore surprised to see building materials on the site on Tuesday morning when he came to work.
“But the police have given me the assurance that they will monitor the place from time to time to prevent all illegal developers on the land, ” the station manager said.
Mr Quansah stated that by regulation, no development was allowed within 50 meters from the rail trucks and that the construction was a clear disregard of the law.
Asked whether he could identify the developers, Mr Quansah said he was aware of two young men who claimed to belong to the Korle We, and who were said to be the original owners of the land.
These young men, he said, had taken various sums of money from individuals and were selling portions of the Railways lands to them.
A young man who spoke to the Daily Graphic on condition of anonymity at the site confirmed the claim by the station manager that some chiefs from the Korle We released the portion of the land to some “cocaine boys” from Saharah for the construction of a public bath and toilet.
He added that, “if the minister or the Railways people allow this “cocaine boys” to come and operate this toilet and bath in front of the school it would negatively affect teaching and learning.”
The young man also claimed that the guys were a threat to the community and must not be allowed to do anything there.
“They will use the place as a toilet and bath but they will also be selling wee and cocaine,” he said.