THE Nungua Mantse, Odehe Kpakpa King Odaifio Welentsi III, has denied allegations that the Nungua Stool has made arrangements to sell 934.80 acres of lands handed over to stool by the government to private estate developers.
King Odaifio Welentsi gave the assurance that the land remains intact and that not a single acre of the said land has been sold out to Trassaco Valley, private estate developer as been alleged by a section of youth of the town.
The Nungua Mantse said this in an exclusive interview with the Daily Graphic at his palace in reaction to claims by an unknown youth group that the chiefs have sold the land to some estate private developers.
King Odaifio Welentsi explained, the chiefs have only apponted Trassaco in a care taker responsibility of the land to manage the scheme that has been designed for the area.
He went on to say that, by the relationship Trassaco Valley could not sell any portion of the land to any group or individual without the prior authorisation of the chiefs of Nungua.
King Odaifio Welentsi revealed that years before the return of the said land to the chiefs, Trassaco had already acquired 114 acres of the land in question from the Lands Commission and the chiefs of Nungua.
He stressed that the relationship with Trassaco was only to ensure strict adherence to the scheme which is the proposed development structure of the area.
He has therefore called on the good people of Nungua and the country at large to ignore the activities and claims of the said dissatisfied individuals of the town.
“These people are individuals who only want to satisfy their parochial interest, they have in the past sold portions of the land and others have also exchanged acres of the Nungua land for cars and other properties, I will not allow this to continue in Nungua.” He stressed.
The spokes person for the chief and elders, Wradi Keda Bortey mentioned that the process of sharing the land for the benefit of all the eight clans that make up the Nungua Stool was under way.
Adding, “Portions of the land have been demarcated for schools, hospital and other purposes.’
For his part, the Youth and Development Chief, Nii Odai Kwei III reiterated the commitment of the chiefs to ensuring the appropriate use of the land and not allow indiscriminate sale of the land.
According to him, the chiefs have initiated an educational project for the youth of the town, this he said was intended to eradicate if not to reduce the high rate of illiteracy among the youth in Nungua.
In a related development, the chiefs and elders of Nungua have expressed their appreciation to the President Mills administration for the return of the 60 per cent of lands acquired from the chiefs and people of Nungua that have not been used for the intended purpose for which it was acquired by the colonial masters.
The chiefs and elders said they were committed to ensuring that not only do the present generation benefit from the activities of the land but also the generations after them.
Other elders present were, Gborbu Wulomo, Numo Borketey Laweh , the Nungua Asafoatse, Nii Bubui Kakai IV, the Sangonaa Mantse Nii Bortei I, the acting Nungua Mankralo Nii Borlabie Prempeh, Nii Afotey Srawah II of Mantse We and Nii Kwei Alabi Okasakpi II.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Transport minister tours agencies
THE Minister of Transport, Mr Mike Hammah last Friday toured some agencies under the ministry and charged them to implement strategies to curb the rate of accidents on the roads since the situation can be a disincentive to investment.
Mr Hammah, who was accompanied by his deputy, Mrs Dzifa Ativor and some directors of the ministry, reiterated government’s efforts of achieving middle income status by the year 2020.
The tour took the Minister and his entourage to the offices of the National Road Safety Commission, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), ?????State Transport Corporation (STC)??? and Metro Mass Transit (MMT) all in Accra.
Mr Hammah said that government was poised to attract a lot of investments into the country to be able to achieve its growth rate of above 10 per cent of GDP, and added that “the transport sector has a pivotal role to play in this growth agenda of the government.”
The minister promised to build up the capacity of all the players in the transport sector to improve on their service delivery capacity.
He underscored the need to strengthen the capacity of the DVLA to be able to test drivers and their vehicles to ensure that there were competent drivers and good vehicles plying the roads.
The minister again said that, the National Road Safety Commission must be well- resourced to carry out its task of formulating suitable policies for the road sector.
The Minister assured the agencies of his commitment to providing the appropriate institutional framework to make them function effectively in their respective places. “One of the first things that we need as a government is to put in place the right structures and I can promise that we will stop at nothing to achieve these objectives.
He further emphasised that the recent carnage on the roads were a disincentive to investment and called on the various agencies to formulate strategies to curb the situation.
It was request galore when the heads of the various agencies took their turn to interact with the minister and his entourage as if they have been expecting him since Adam.
At STC which has been in operation since 1909 and is celebrating 100 years of existence, the Managing Director, Mr Kwame Adjei-Seffah said the company had over the years been battling with loan repayment from banks, hence the company’s inability to declare profit and make other investments.
Mr Adjei-Seffah therefore appealed to the sector minister for recapitalisation to revamp the company since they had to compete with the increasing number of private transport companies in the country.
“Mr Minister, I want to appeal to the government to help us by any means possible to get at least 100 buses and 50 trucks and I can promise that if this is done we will make STC the best in Africa.”
He explained that the company at present could only boast of 30 buses, most of which regularly break down after every journey, and not even a single truck to operate with.
When the minister arrived at the Metro Mass outfit, The Managing Director, Mr Henk Visschers informed the minister that the crisis that rocked the company in 2007 had affected its operations drastically in the subsequent years .
“Though the challenges were not completely over, we have put in place the right management structures to be able to contain the situation,” he stressed.
Mr Henk appealed to the government for subsidy to be able to compete with the other transport companies in the country, “Mr Minister, MMT at any point in time has the lowest fare in the country, this we do to help the less -privileged ,” he emphasised.
The MD again appealed to the minister to help them contain the perennial flooding of the area.
The Executive Director of the National Road Safety Commission, Mr Noble John Appiah in a power point presentation, told the minister that in spite of the numerous achievements of the commission, a number of constrains continued to hamper the activities of the commission.
Mr Appiah mentioned the lack of collaboration and co-ordination between stakeholders and over dependence on donor support for implementation of road programmes and projects.
He therefore appealed for the minister’s intervention to address these weaknesses to ensure that road safety efforts and positive impacts and achievements were sustained in the country.
The acting Director of the DVLA Mr Justice Amegashie informed the minister of numerous initiatives of the DVLA to maintain good and competent drivers for the safety of passengers.
Mr Amegashie stated that the DVLA was developing an interface with other stakeholders in the industry to make their services accessible to the people within the shortest time possible.
The deputy minister, Mr Dzifa Ativor told the Daily Graphic after the tour that the visit afforded them the opportunity to have first hand information on the various situations at the agencies. “We will study the situation and at the appropriate time respond to their request,” she stated.
She explained further that this was the first in a series of interactions with the agencies, and that they would in the next few days invite the heads of the agencies to have a holistic discussion having in mind the government's agenda for the sector.
Mr Hammah, who was accompanied by his deputy, Mrs Dzifa Ativor and some directors of the ministry, reiterated government’s efforts of achieving middle income status by the year 2020.
The tour took the Minister and his entourage to the offices of the National Road Safety Commission, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), ?????State Transport Corporation (STC)??? and Metro Mass Transit (MMT) all in Accra.
Mr Hammah said that government was poised to attract a lot of investments into the country to be able to achieve its growth rate of above 10 per cent of GDP, and added that “the transport sector has a pivotal role to play in this growth agenda of the government.”
The minister promised to build up the capacity of all the players in the transport sector to improve on their service delivery capacity.
He underscored the need to strengthen the capacity of the DVLA to be able to test drivers and their vehicles to ensure that there were competent drivers and good vehicles plying the roads.
The minister again said that, the National Road Safety Commission must be well- resourced to carry out its task of formulating suitable policies for the road sector.
The Minister assured the agencies of his commitment to providing the appropriate institutional framework to make them function effectively in their respective places. “One of the first things that we need as a government is to put in place the right structures and I can promise that we will stop at nothing to achieve these objectives.
He further emphasised that the recent carnage on the roads were a disincentive to investment and called on the various agencies to formulate strategies to curb the situation.
It was request galore when the heads of the various agencies took their turn to interact with the minister and his entourage as if they have been expecting him since Adam.
At STC which has been in operation since 1909 and is celebrating 100 years of existence, the Managing Director, Mr Kwame Adjei-Seffah said the company had over the years been battling with loan repayment from banks, hence the company’s inability to declare profit and make other investments.
Mr Adjei-Seffah therefore appealed to the sector minister for recapitalisation to revamp the company since they had to compete with the increasing number of private transport companies in the country.
“Mr Minister, I want to appeal to the government to help us by any means possible to get at least 100 buses and 50 trucks and I can promise that if this is done we will make STC the best in Africa.”
He explained that the company at present could only boast of 30 buses, most of which regularly break down after every journey, and not even a single truck to operate with.
When the minister arrived at the Metro Mass outfit, The Managing Director, Mr Henk Visschers informed the minister that the crisis that rocked the company in 2007 had affected its operations drastically in the subsequent years .
“Though the challenges were not completely over, we have put in place the right management structures to be able to contain the situation,” he stressed.
Mr Henk appealed to the government for subsidy to be able to compete with the other transport companies in the country, “Mr Minister, MMT at any point in time has the lowest fare in the country, this we do to help the less -privileged ,” he emphasised.
The MD again appealed to the minister to help them contain the perennial flooding of the area.
The Executive Director of the National Road Safety Commission, Mr Noble John Appiah in a power point presentation, told the minister that in spite of the numerous achievements of the commission, a number of constrains continued to hamper the activities of the commission.
Mr Appiah mentioned the lack of collaboration and co-ordination between stakeholders and over dependence on donor support for implementation of road programmes and projects.
He therefore appealed for the minister’s intervention to address these weaknesses to ensure that road safety efforts and positive impacts and achievements were sustained in the country.
The acting Director of the DVLA Mr Justice Amegashie informed the minister of numerous initiatives of the DVLA to maintain good and competent drivers for the safety of passengers.
Mr Amegashie stated that the DVLA was developing an interface with other stakeholders in the industry to make their services accessible to the people within the shortest time possible.
The deputy minister, Mr Dzifa Ativor told the Daily Graphic after the tour that the visit afforded them the opportunity to have first hand information on the various situations at the agencies. “We will study the situation and at the appropriate time respond to their request,” she stated.
She explained further that this was the first in a series of interactions with the agencies, and that they would in the next few days invite the heads of the agencies to have a holistic discussion having in mind the government's agenda for the sector.
VRA begins dredging Volta estuary at Ada
THE Volta River Authority (VRA) has commenced the dredging of the Volta estuary at Ada to enhance the socio-economic activities of the people of the area.
It is also intended to allow for the free flow of the Volta River into the sea in the event of excess water from the Akosombo and the Kpong dams to control or eliminate flooding in the lower Volta area.
Addressing the media at the project site, the acting Director of Corporate Services of the VRA, Ms Abla Fiadjoe, said the dredging formed part of the authority’s social responsibility to members of the communities who had been affected by the creation of the two dams.
She explained to the Daily Graphic in an interview that the project was also to manage the eco-system of the area and allow for more economic activities on the river.
“It is also to reduce the incidence of bilharzia among the inhabitants, particularly children and those who frequently come into contact with the river for any activity,” she added.
For his part, the acting Director of Environment and Sustainable Development, Mr Francis Atubra, explained that the creation of the Akosombo and the Kpong dams on the Volta River for the production of hydro-electric power slowed down the flow of the river into the sea at the estuary at Ada.
He said the dredging was, therefore, being carried out to remove the sand bar between the river and the sea at the estuary to allow for the free flow of water in both directions.
He said another purpose was to allow more sea water into the river to reduce aquatic weed infestation to a large extent and a substantial distance upstream.
Mr Atubra said the dredging, which is expected every four years, was first carried out in 1990 and again in 1996 and had not been done since.
“We have solved all the difficulties that prevented the VRA from dredging the river over the last 13 years and hope to make it regular from now,” he added.
At the dredging site, the Supervisor, Mr Ben Dorgbey, explained to reporters that the project was being executed in four parts and would take the VRA team four months to complete.
He explained that the dredging would create a channel covering a distance of three kilometres between the sea and the river and eight metres below water surface.
He said the dredging would also open up the numerous islands in the area to a number of economic activities, particularly tourism.
It is also intended to allow for the free flow of the Volta River into the sea in the event of excess water from the Akosombo and the Kpong dams to control or eliminate flooding in the lower Volta area.
Addressing the media at the project site, the acting Director of Corporate Services of the VRA, Ms Abla Fiadjoe, said the dredging formed part of the authority’s social responsibility to members of the communities who had been affected by the creation of the two dams.
She explained to the Daily Graphic in an interview that the project was also to manage the eco-system of the area and allow for more economic activities on the river.
“It is also to reduce the incidence of bilharzia among the inhabitants, particularly children and those who frequently come into contact with the river for any activity,” she added.
For his part, the acting Director of Environment and Sustainable Development, Mr Francis Atubra, explained that the creation of the Akosombo and the Kpong dams on the Volta River for the production of hydro-electric power slowed down the flow of the river into the sea at the estuary at Ada.
He said the dredging was, therefore, being carried out to remove the sand bar between the river and the sea at the estuary to allow for the free flow of water in both directions.
He said another purpose was to allow more sea water into the river to reduce aquatic weed infestation to a large extent and a substantial distance upstream.
Mr Atubra said the dredging, which is expected every four years, was first carried out in 1990 and again in 1996 and had not been done since.
“We have solved all the difficulties that prevented the VRA from dredging the river over the last 13 years and hope to make it regular from now,” he added.
At the dredging site, the Supervisor, Mr Ben Dorgbey, explained to reporters that the project was being executed in four parts and would take the VRA team four months to complete.
He explained that the dredging would create a channel covering a distance of three kilometres between the sea and the river and eight metres below water surface.
He said the dredging would also open up the numerous islands in the area to a number of economic activities, particularly tourism.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
100 Steel bridges to be constructed— To close rural-urban gap
One hundred steel bridges are to be constructed in some selected rural communities in the country in line with the government’s rural development agenda.
Mr Joe Gidisu, the Minister of Roads and Highways, who announced this, said the project would help bridge the rural-urban gap in the country and accelerate the development agenda for the people in the rural areas.
He said the project would be executed with a loan of $87 million and in collaboration with Acrow Construction of the United States of America (USA).
Mr Joe Gidisu made this known when the US Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Donald Teitelbaum, paid a courtesy call on him in Accra on Monday.
It is expected to commence in June, 2009 and will be done in three phases within a three-year period. Officials of the ministry noted, however, that discussions on the locations were ongoing.
“Most of the food crops get rotten on the farms particularly in the rainy season because the farmers are unable to transport the food crops to the market places in the cities,” Mr Gidisu observed.
The minister also reiterated the government’s commitment to make the rural areas economically viable to curb the rural urban migration for non-existent jobs.
He expressed the government’s appreciation to the US government for its assistance over the years, while pledging his commitment to consolidating the already existing relationship between the two countries.
Mr Teitelbaum, who was accompanied by Mr James Bednar, a Director at the US Embassy, said the road sector formed an integral part of the economic development of every nation.
“As an economic partner, we will continue to support the government to be able to execute its development policies for the people,” he said.
He mentioned some of the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) projects in the country particularly the Tetteh-Quarshie-Mallam Motorway Extension, as part of his government’s assistance to Ghana to have good roads in the country for easy transportation.
Mr Joe Gidisu, the Minister of Roads and Highways, who announced this, said the project would help bridge the rural-urban gap in the country and accelerate the development agenda for the people in the rural areas.
He said the project would be executed with a loan of $87 million and in collaboration with Acrow Construction of the United States of America (USA).
Mr Joe Gidisu made this known when the US Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Donald Teitelbaum, paid a courtesy call on him in Accra on Monday.
It is expected to commence in June, 2009 and will be done in three phases within a three-year period. Officials of the ministry noted, however, that discussions on the locations were ongoing.
“Most of the food crops get rotten on the farms particularly in the rainy season because the farmers are unable to transport the food crops to the market places in the cities,” Mr Gidisu observed.
The minister also reiterated the government’s commitment to make the rural areas economically viable to curb the rural urban migration for non-existent jobs.
He expressed the government’s appreciation to the US government for its assistance over the years, while pledging his commitment to consolidating the already existing relationship between the two countries.
Mr Teitelbaum, who was accompanied by Mr James Bednar, a Director at the US Embassy, said the road sector formed an integral part of the economic development of every nation.
“As an economic partner, we will continue to support the government to be able to execute its development policies for the people,” he said.
He mentioned some of the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) projects in the country particularly the Tetteh-Quarshie-Mallam Motorway Extension, as part of his government’s assistance to Ghana to have good roads in the country for easy transportation.
Students of Meridian Pre-University excel in exams
ALL 76 students presented for the Diploma in Business Studies by the Meridian Pre-University examination scored 100 per cent, the Executive President of the Pre-University, Mr Tetteh Nettey has announced.
He said the examination which was conducted by the Technical unit of the Ghana Education Service (GES) was intended to test the knowledge base of students before they entered the universities.
Mr Nettey said this when he addressed an award presentation ceremony of the 2007/08 year group of the school at its premises at Odorkor in Accra.
He advised the graduating students to be good ambassadors of the school where ever they found themselves.
Mr Nettey also called on them to take their studies seriously since that was the only way they could pass their examinations and not by any foul means.
The executive president pledged the support of his administration to create an enabling environment for them to achieve good results in all their examinations and in their career.
"It is our responsibility to provide the teaching and learning materials and environment, we will do just that, yours as student was to study hard to achieve your own goals in life." He stated.
He also urged the students not to limit themselves only to their subject areas but should make themselves available for other opportunities that the school and the world offers them.
Mr Nettey particularly mentioned Information Communication Technology (ICT) saying that, even though the school had made provision for it to be studied in the school it was important in this information era. "ICT is too broad an area for you to think the school can cover all these areas within the number of years you would be spending here.
The Pre-University which was established two years ago, started with only twenty students.
Mr Nettey was delighted the students population now stands at over 700 and attributed it to the performance of the students these last two years and the dedication of teachers .
He however said that, "for us as administrators this is the the end, we have a very long way to go and would stop at nothing to achieve the objectives that we set for ourselves.
Mr Nettey also announced that the school had opportunities for busy workers to improve themselves while expanding their knowledge and also getting promotion at their work places.
He said the examination which was conducted by the Technical unit of the Ghana Education Service (GES) was intended to test the knowledge base of students before they entered the universities.
Mr Nettey said this when he addressed an award presentation ceremony of the 2007/08 year group of the school at its premises at Odorkor in Accra.
He advised the graduating students to be good ambassadors of the school where ever they found themselves.
Mr Nettey also called on them to take their studies seriously since that was the only way they could pass their examinations and not by any foul means.
The executive president pledged the support of his administration to create an enabling environment for them to achieve good results in all their examinations and in their career.
"It is our responsibility to provide the teaching and learning materials and environment, we will do just that, yours as student was to study hard to achieve your own goals in life." He stated.
He also urged the students not to limit themselves only to their subject areas but should make themselves available for other opportunities that the school and the world offers them.
Mr Nettey particularly mentioned Information Communication Technology (ICT) saying that, even though the school had made provision for it to be studied in the school it was important in this information era. "ICT is too broad an area for you to think the school can cover all these areas within the number of years you would be spending here.
The Pre-University which was established two years ago, started with only twenty students.
Mr Nettey was delighted the students population now stands at over 700 and attributed it to the performance of the students these last two years and the dedication of teachers .
He however said that, "for us as administrators this is the the end, we have a very long way to go and would stop at nothing to achieve the objectives that we set for ourselves.
Mr Nettey also announced that the school had opportunities for busy workers to improve themselves while expanding their knowledge and also getting promotion at their work places.
Committee submits report on power outage at KIA
THE five-member committee set up by the Minister of Transport, Mr Mike Hammah, to investigate the recent power outage that occurred at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA), has presented its report to the minister.
The incident, which occurred on March 2, 2009, resulted in a blackout at some places at the airport, including the departure hall and some parts of the car park.
According to the chairman of the committee, Mr Kingsford Laryea, the power failure was caused by a failure in one of the changeovers that supplies power to one of the two substation generators.
Mr Laryea emphasised that although one of the generators started operating, it could not supply power to the entire airport. “The incident fortunately did not affect certain key areas of the airport,” he added.
The committee, which had 14 working days to present its report, recommended among other things that certain substation items particularly the changeovers should be duplicated to prevent any future recurrence.
Mr Laryea told the Daily Graphic after the presentation that the committee recommended that both substations should be inter-connected so that one could supply power to all of the airport, if a failure occurred.
The committee again recommended that the electrical system at the airport should have a by-pass arrangement as soon as possible.
Receiving the report, Mr Hammah expressed his appreciation of work done within the short period.
He said the ministry would study the report and issue a white paper on the key recommendations of the report.
The minister said the aviation industry formed part of the government’s agenda to make Ghana the gateway of investment destination in Africa.
“We will do everything we can to make sure this strategy is achieved in the quickest possible time,” Mr Hammah added.
For her part, the Managing Director of KIA, Mrs E. Anno Sackey, said the recommendations would be critically considered for action to be taken to make KIA a safer place for all travellers.
The other members of the committee were Mr Charles Krakue, Ghana Civil Aviation Authority; Mr Charles Hanson Adu, Ghana Airport Company Ltd.; Mr T.A. Selby, Ministry of Transport; and Mrs Joyce Bannerwood, Ghana Airport Company Ltd.
The incident, which occurred on March 2, 2009, resulted in a blackout at some places at the airport, including the departure hall and some parts of the car park.
According to the chairman of the committee, Mr Kingsford Laryea, the power failure was caused by a failure in one of the changeovers that supplies power to one of the two substation generators.
Mr Laryea emphasised that although one of the generators started operating, it could not supply power to the entire airport. “The incident fortunately did not affect certain key areas of the airport,” he added.
The committee, which had 14 working days to present its report, recommended among other things that certain substation items particularly the changeovers should be duplicated to prevent any future recurrence.
Mr Laryea told the Daily Graphic after the presentation that the committee recommended that both substations should be inter-connected so that one could supply power to all of the airport, if a failure occurred.
The committee again recommended that the electrical system at the airport should have a by-pass arrangement as soon as possible.
Receiving the report, Mr Hammah expressed his appreciation of work done within the short period.
He said the ministry would study the report and issue a white paper on the key recommendations of the report.
The minister said the aviation industry formed part of the government’s agenda to make Ghana the gateway of investment destination in Africa.
“We will do everything we can to make sure this strategy is achieved in the quickest possible time,” Mr Hammah added.
For her part, the Managing Director of KIA, Mrs E. Anno Sackey, said the recommendations would be critically considered for action to be taken to make KIA a safer place for all travellers.
The other members of the committee were Mr Charles Krakue, Ghana Civil Aviation Authority; Mr Charles Hanson Adu, Ghana Airport Company Ltd.; Mr T.A. Selby, Ministry of Transport; and Mrs Joyce Bannerwood, Ghana Airport Company Ltd.
Friday, April 17, 2009
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.
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.
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