The Chief of Abbe and the Mankralo of Odukpon Kpeehe in Accra, Nii Samoa Okropon I, has stated that the Gá’s do not hate former President Kufuor, except that they were not happy with the way he disregarded their grievances.
“The people of Osu are not talking about his presidency, but his personality, because of his attitude towards the Gas,” he insisted. Speaking to The Chronicle in an interview Nii Okropon, said a cocoa factory was built in Takoradi in 1965 by the then Nkrumah government. In 1967, another one was built at Tema, which ex-President Kufuor vehemently disagreed to. According to him, in page 14 of the April 1968 edition of the African Drum Magazine, Mr. Kufuor was quoted as saying, “Accra can’t take everything. For example, I don’t see why a chocolate factory should be built in Tema, since Ashanti’s are the growers of cocoa.”
He said Mr. Kufuor did not have qualms with the factory in Takoradi, but had a problem with the one in the Greater Accra Region. He continued that President Kufuor changed the name of a street, which was called Asafo Janete Road, to Ghana Telecom road, again, the name of a road in La called Nii Amaa Ollennu Road, was changed to Obasanjo Road. He said great athlete, Gabriel Sowah Laryea, who represented Ghana from 1944 to 1957 in athletics and won several medals, was honoured by Queen Elizabeth by transforming the Brighton Park, where he used to train, to a gigantic stadium when he chose the name Accra Sports Stadium because it was his opinion that the land belonged to Gas. The Abebe Chief said Mr. Laryea, who is now 86, has been very peeved with Kufuor for changing the name to the Ohene Djan Stadium.
Nii lamented that they were still not be able to understand the reason for changing the name on November 11, 2007, the same day Accra Hearts of Oak was founded (November 11, 1911). He said when the Osu people took one building at ridge, during President Kufour’s tenure for their office, the building was pulled down in August 29, 2007, and yet still the land has not been used, adding that the roof of the ridge residence of another Osu native was ripped off to prevent him from staying there.
“So if the people of Osu cannot live in their own land, what makes ex-President Kufuor permissible to live there,” he inquired. He indicated that in 2001, at Mantse Agbona, during the victory rally of the New Patriotic Party, the late Ferdinand Ayim made a very derogatory statement against the Gas, but President Kufuor did bring him to order. He maintained that ex-President Kufuor, and his family, had benefited from the Osu lands more than the indigenous people. He said the founder’s day in Ghana, should not be about Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, but rather about the celebration of Tetteh Quarshie on 27th March, since the country was founded on the exploits of Tetteh Quarshie, and has lived on it for 128 years.
He said the economy relied on the proceeds of cocoa, and that cocoa has been the largest source of foreign exchange for Ghana. “The Bank of Ghana, the University of Ghana, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), were all built with proceeds from cocoa, yet none of them has been named after Tetteh Quarshie or any of their halls, but roads have been named after Obetsebi Lamptey, Akufo Addo, J. B. Danquah, asking “what have they done to deserve all these?”
Nii said the family of Tetteh Quarshie, called Opinka We within the area in Osu, Ashi Tettey We (popularly known as Ashante), and wallow in abject poverty in Osu, are all aggrieved due to the consistent neglect by various governments. He condemned the history books of historians, including late Prof Albert Adu Boahene, W. E. Ward and F.K Boah, for lying in their books that Tetteh Quarshie swallowed the cocoa seeds in Fernando Pó and defecated somewhere, and the seeds then germinated into cocoa seedlings. The Chief of Abebe insisted that Tetteh Quarshie brought 11 pods of cocoa from Fernando Pó, and that he planted the seeds from Guinea Bissau, Cameroon, Nigeria, Dahomey, Osu to Mampong.
Credit: - The Ghanaian Chronicle | By George Kyei Frimpong | Posted: Tuesday, March 31, 2009 | Volume: 18 Edition No: 125
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
PRESS RELEASE: THE KUFOUR EVICTION
With reference to media publication to the effect that several other “Squatter Jakes” had benefited from illegal GáDángme lands sales under the guise of selling Government landed property, we have learnt with shock the expose by an Accra based radio station Joy FM yesterday that Ex-President J.A Kufour has also acquired a property at Ridge among others..
1. We thus call on former President Kufour to give a full disclosure to the fine details as to
I. When this State property was acquired
II. How much was paid for it
III. Reason for acquisition
2. That former President Kufour owes Ghanaians an explanation of what he did with all State assets under his watch and in particular those that he personally transferred ownership of to private citizens – is it a matter of scratch my back and I also scratch your back?
3. We call on Ex-President Kufour to vacate the property immediately and await the implementation of the controversial Chinery-Hesse Committee’s report.
4. We call on His Excellency, President J.E.A Mills and his government to fast track investigations into the acquisitions of all State landed properties and other GáDángme lands acquired illegally which includes;
The International Students Hostel, Legion Village, Ghana Airways Flats, Police / Military Lands and other acquisitions in the plush areas as Ridge, Cantonments, Dzorwulu, Airport, Roman Ridge and La Wireless and bring to justice all those who have looted our lands as part of a grand scheme to deprive the indigenes of Greater Accra of their lands regardless of rank or status in society.
5. We take this opportunity to inform all well meaning Ghanaians that, if the former President fails to vacate the state property, we shall picket at the property till he vacates as happened to his campaign manager Jake Okanta Obetsebi-Lamptey.
6. We are disappointed that the State Authorities charged with the responsibility of safe-guarding State properties have breached the agreement that existed between government and the GáDángme’s.
7. Finally, we urge parliament to take the necessary steps to reverse the attempt at making us landless, this act of genocide being committed in the blind quest for property; repeal the obnoxious ACT 2 and other such legislation which will be uniform for the unitary State called Ghana.
God bless our homeland Ghana and make her great and strong!!!
Herbert Nii Akai Nettey
For: GáDangme Youth Association
gádángmeyouth.blogspot.com
gádángmeyouth@gmail.com
P. O. Box CT 5422,
Cantonments
0277 456 816 | 0244 683 108 | 0248 956 012 | 0244 851 489 | 0242 964 933
Cc: ALL MEDIA HOUSES
1. We thus call on former President Kufour to give a full disclosure to the fine details as to
I. When this State property was acquired
II. How much was paid for it
III. Reason for acquisition
2. That former President Kufour owes Ghanaians an explanation of what he did with all State assets under his watch and in particular those that he personally transferred ownership of to private citizens – is it a matter of scratch my back and I also scratch your back?
3. We call on Ex-President Kufour to vacate the property immediately and await the implementation of the controversial Chinery-Hesse Committee’s report.
4. We call on His Excellency, President J.E.A Mills and his government to fast track investigations into the acquisitions of all State landed properties and other GáDángme lands acquired illegally which includes;
The International Students Hostel, Legion Village, Ghana Airways Flats, Police / Military Lands and other acquisitions in the plush areas as Ridge, Cantonments, Dzorwulu, Airport, Roman Ridge and La Wireless and bring to justice all those who have looted our lands as part of a grand scheme to deprive the indigenes of Greater Accra of their lands regardless of rank or status in society.
5. We take this opportunity to inform all well meaning Ghanaians that, if the former President fails to vacate the state property, we shall picket at the property till he vacates as happened to his campaign manager Jake Okanta Obetsebi-Lamptey.
6. We are disappointed that the State Authorities charged with the responsibility of safe-guarding State properties have breached the agreement that existed between government and the GáDángme’s.
7. Finally, we urge parliament to take the necessary steps to reverse the attempt at making us landless, this act of genocide being committed in the blind quest for property; repeal the obnoxious ACT 2 and other such legislation which will be uniform for the unitary State called Ghana.
God bless our homeland Ghana and make her great and strong!!!
Herbert Nii Akai Nettey
For: GáDangme Youth Association
gádángmeyouth.blogspot.com
gádángmeyouth@gmail.com
P. O. Box CT 5422,
Cantonments
0277 456 816 | 0244 683 108 | 0248 956 012 | 0244 851 489 | 0242 964 933
Cc: ALL MEDIA HOUSES
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
PRESS RELEASE: Our Lands, Our Heritage, Our Heroes!
On the occasion of Ghana’s 52nd Independence anniversary, we wish to state that we are very proud of the legacy that our forefathers have left and will guard jealously what they fought for with their sweat and blood!
We are however, disappointed in the seeming lack of State interest in the celebration of our Heroes, both dead and alive. The lack of commensurate National recognition for the contribution of Sgt. Adjetey and his colleagues to the independence struggle is only marched by the neglect of Amon Kotei, who crafted the Coat of Arms of the Republic of Ghana.
The 28th February incident, even though very key to the eventual declaration, has been a low point in the Independence celebrations but, this year the holiday ironically witnessed the construction work of some private developers at the Legion Village site, which the previous administration sold to its cronies contrary to the original purpose of the acquisition by Government for the welfare of Ex-servicemen who put their lives in harm’s way for mother Ghana yet deprived of the token land acquired to shelter them in their old age.
Amon Kotei whose Coat of Arms is the highest symbol of Authority of Ghana, its Sovereignty, the Presidency, Currency and indeed adorns everything important has not been given even a token recognition by the State except the erection of an uncommissioned statue of the Coat of Arms planted unceremoniously at the Independence Square area adjacent to the Accra Sports Stadium by the Kufour Administration, noted for commissioning uncompleted projects, so why not the Coat of Arms Project?
Today, we state equivocally that the Independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked to the total liberation of its entire people, our lands, our heritage and the honouring of our heroes!
We applaud the Mills Administration’s commitment to the release of the looted GáDángme lands but, wish to caution that all traditional councils and chiefs must be made to render accounts of their stewardship, their land and other resources before any release or return of the land is affected.
The people own the lands; the chiefs through the Traditional Councils are only custodians of these properties for and on behalf of the people. Anyone who does business with these chiefs or thieves does so at his or her own risk. Since in our view, any proper transaction will require the consent of the owners and not the signature of the “watchman”.
We are greatly scandalized by the front page publication in today’s edition of the Moment Newspaper which captures rather graphically the example of the La Mantse, Nii Kpobi Tettey Tsuru II and some persons including an Executive Director of the Lands Commission, Nana Dwamena II, himself a chief from Prestea Hemang being tried for land related fraud charges. The entire Traditional Council, elders and people of La have been indicted for this unfortunate scandal
Mr. President, please bring to justice all those who have looted our lands as part of a grand scheme to deprive the indigenes of Accra of their lands regardless of rank or status in society.
The exposé by the media of many high profile “land grabbing“ cases in plush areas is crowned by the greed of those who demolished a world heritage site , The International Students Hostel to build a shopping mall, the Legion Village, Ghana Airways Flats, Police and Military Lands. We warn all these unscrupulous developers to Stop Work” immediately to avert the wrath of the youth descending on them, their investment and other properties.
Some members of the Gá Traditional Council have become a link between governments, prospective buyers and some crooks serving at the Land Commission. We call on the current government to halt these transactions and institute full scale investigations into the sale and acquisition of lands which bothers on criminality - Genocide and those found culpable to be dealt with according to the laws of the land.
Whiles we are aware that most Traditional Councils are manned by none professionals, for the simple reason that they are chiefs and that they are cheated out of their true value of their lands, the Traditional Council must take immediate and appropriate steps to have in-house staff with relevance to the core functions relating to Lands, Legal, Finance and Audit.
We propose these reforms to bring sanity to the administration of GáDángme lands to halt the rampant stealing of GáDángme lands and unscrupulous chiefs and land guards in double and triple sale of lands.
To this end, in the specific case of the GáDángme State, that the intelligentsia under the umbrella of GáDángme Council must facilitate the creation of these councils in their areas and source for professionals (preferably indigenes) to assist the Traditional Council’s discharge their functions creditably and avoid undesirable status quo. GáDángme Council should help source professionals for the various Traditional Councils.
We call on His Excellency President J.E.A Mills to freeze and curtail the activities of chiefs with questionable status immediately and prevent them from holding and exercising functions in that capacity either in the disposal of lands or holds durbars and commemorates festivals leading to the disturbance of peace in their communities for that matter Ghana.
We advise all persons who have paid monies to these unscrupulous persons to go for their refund from the agents who allocated these lands since the Traditional Council will not have any contractual transaction with them, since they knowingly conducted business with those fraudsters fully aware that the owners of the land were in opposition of the said transactions and therefore could not consider themselves as bona fide owners of the properties.
We want to take this opportunity to urge the President in line with his promise in the manifesto to return Ghana@50 lands stolen in the name of Ghana’s 50th Independence anniversary, in the plush areas of Accra namely La Wireless, Airport City, Cantonments, Ridge and other government acquired lands which by the actions of the previous government deemed to be no longer conforming to the original purpose for which they were acquired.
We urge the GáDángme Council to urgently coordinate with the various Traditional Council’s (Chiefs and elders) to set up escrow accounts for the various traditional areas to enable government transfer all outstanding compensation and the return of lands pending proper constitution of the said Traditional Council and or installation of substantive Chiefs with the active involvement of the people particularly the GáDángme Youth.
Finally, we urge parliament to take the necessary steps with the view to making us landless, this act of genocide they committed in their quest for property, repeal the obnoxious ACT 2 and other such legislation which will be uniform for the unitary state called Ghana.
God bless our homeland Ghana and make her great and strong!!
Nii Marma Marquaye
Vice President, GáDángme Youth Association
gádángmeyouth.blogspot.com
gádángmeyouth@gmail.com
P. O. Box CT 5422, Cantonments
0277 456 816 | 0244 683 108 | 0248 956 012 | 0244 851 489 | 0242 964 933
We are however, disappointed in the seeming lack of State interest in the celebration of our Heroes, both dead and alive. The lack of commensurate National recognition for the contribution of Sgt. Adjetey and his colleagues to the independence struggle is only marched by the neglect of Amon Kotei, who crafted the Coat of Arms of the Republic of Ghana.
The 28th February incident, even though very key to the eventual declaration, has been a low point in the Independence celebrations but, this year the holiday ironically witnessed the construction work of some private developers at the Legion Village site, which the previous administration sold to its cronies contrary to the original purpose of the acquisition by Government for the welfare of Ex-servicemen who put their lives in harm’s way for mother Ghana yet deprived of the token land acquired to shelter them in their old age.
Amon Kotei whose Coat of Arms is the highest symbol of Authority of Ghana, its Sovereignty, the Presidency, Currency and indeed adorns everything important has not been given even a token recognition by the State except the erection of an uncommissioned statue of the Coat of Arms planted unceremoniously at the Independence Square area adjacent to the Accra Sports Stadium by the Kufour Administration, noted for commissioning uncompleted projects, so why not the Coat of Arms Project?
Today, we state equivocally that the Independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked to the total liberation of its entire people, our lands, our heritage and the honouring of our heroes!
We applaud the Mills Administration’s commitment to the release of the looted GáDángme lands but, wish to caution that all traditional councils and chiefs must be made to render accounts of their stewardship, their land and other resources before any release or return of the land is affected.
The people own the lands; the chiefs through the Traditional Councils are only custodians of these properties for and on behalf of the people. Anyone who does business with these chiefs or thieves does so at his or her own risk. Since in our view, any proper transaction will require the consent of the owners and not the signature of the “watchman”.
We are greatly scandalized by the front page publication in today’s edition of the Moment Newspaper which captures rather graphically the example of the La Mantse, Nii Kpobi Tettey Tsuru II and some persons including an Executive Director of the Lands Commission, Nana Dwamena II, himself a chief from Prestea Hemang being tried for land related fraud charges. The entire Traditional Council, elders and people of La have been indicted for this unfortunate scandal
Mr. President, please bring to justice all those who have looted our lands as part of a grand scheme to deprive the indigenes of Accra of their lands regardless of rank or status in society.
The exposé by the media of many high profile “land grabbing“ cases in plush areas is crowned by the greed of those who demolished a world heritage site , The International Students Hostel to build a shopping mall, the Legion Village, Ghana Airways Flats, Police and Military Lands. We warn all these unscrupulous developers to Stop Work” immediately to avert the wrath of the youth descending on them, their investment and other properties.
Some members of the Gá Traditional Council have become a link between governments, prospective buyers and some crooks serving at the Land Commission. We call on the current government to halt these transactions and institute full scale investigations into the sale and acquisition of lands which bothers on criminality - Genocide and those found culpable to be dealt with according to the laws of the land.
Whiles we are aware that most Traditional Councils are manned by none professionals, for the simple reason that they are chiefs and that they are cheated out of their true value of their lands, the Traditional Council must take immediate and appropriate steps to have in-house staff with relevance to the core functions relating to Lands, Legal, Finance and Audit.
We propose these reforms to bring sanity to the administration of GáDángme lands to halt the rampant stealing of GáDángme lands and unscrupulous chiefs and land guards in double and triple sale of lands.
To this end, in the specific case of the GáDángme State, that the intelligentsia under the umbrella of GáDángme Council must facilitate the creation of these councils in their areas and source for professionals (preferably indigenes) to assist the Traditional Council’s discharge their functions creditably and avoid undesirable status quo. GáDángme Council should help source professionals for the various Traditional Councils.
We call on His Excellency President J.E.A Mills to freeze and curtail the activities of chiefs with questionable status immediately and prevent them from holding and exercising functions in that capacity either in the disposal of lands or holds durbars and commemorates festivals leading to the disturbance of peace in their communities for that matter Ghana.
We advise all persons who have paid monies to these unscrupulous persons to go for their refund from the agents who allocated these lands since the Traditional Council will not have any contractual transaction with them, since they knowingly conducted business with those fraudsters fully aware that the owners of the land were in opposition of the said transactions and therefore could not consider themselves as bona fide owners of the properties.
We want to take this opportunity to urge the President in line with his promise in the manifesto to return Ghana@50 lands stolen in the name of Ghana’s 50th Independence anniversary, in the plush areas of Accra namely La Wireless, Airport City, Cantonments, Ridge and other government acquired lands which by the actions of the previous government deemed to be no longer conforming to the original purpose for which they were acquired.
We urge the GáDángme Council to urgently coordinate with the various Traditional Council’s (Chiefs and elders) to set up escrow accounts for the various traditional areas to enable government transfer all outstanding compensation and the return of lands pending proper constitution of the said Traditional Council and or installation of substantive Chiefs with the active involvement of the people particularly the GáDángme Youth.
Finally, we urge parliament to take the necessary steps with the view to making us landless, this act of genocide they committed in their quest for property, repeal the obnoxious ACT 2 and other such legislation which will be uniform for the unitary state called Ghana.
God bless our homeland Ghana and make her great and strong!!
Nii Marma Marquaye
Vice President, GáDángme Youth Association
gádángmeyouth.blogspot.com
gádángmeyouth@gmail.com
P. O. Box CT 5422, Cantonments
0277 456 816 | 0244 683 108 | 0248 956 012 | 0244 851 489 | 0242 964 933
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