Chief Stabs Ghanaians In The Back

....Over Gas Project

The paramount chief of the Eastern Nzema Traditional Area, Awulae Amihere Kpanyinli II has decided to stab all Ghanaians in the back by resorting to antics aimed at delay the completion of the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant located in his area.

The Ghana National Gas Company (GNGC) built the $850 million plant to enable gas flow to it through pipelines connecting it to the FPSO Kwame Nkrumah in the Jubilee Oil Fields. The plant includes a power processing unit which will produce electricity to power it (the plant). It is also hooked to the national electricity grid to boost the country’s electrical energy capacity. The plant is just about to be completed to enable operations to begin.

However, last week, Awulae Amihere Kpanyinli III, though aware that the company was working on modalities to pay compensation to owners of the land the plant is situated on went to a Sekondi High Court and succeeded in convincing it to place an injunction on the completion of the project until the compensations have been paid. The court gave both parties to discuss the matter and come to an amicable settlement. But, all attempts by management of the company, including several personal efforts by its Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Sipa Yankey, to sit meet and discuss the compensation with the chief has failed because he has refused to answer their phone calls to him.

In a move that smacks of holding the entire nation to ransom, he confirmed to JOY FM news yesterday that he was in the United States of America. This effectively means that talks cannot be held with him and therefore work on the Gas Plant cannot be completed.

Meanwhile, elders of Anoche and Asemdasuazo, the other two of the three communities or whose behalf Awulae Amihere Kpanyinli III initiated the court action against the gas company have distanced themselves from the action.

The elders, who matched to the offices of the GNGC yesterday say they are going to file the necessary writs in court to make them defendants in the case.

According to them, the action by Awulae Kpanyinli is likely to injure the reputation of the traditional area as an investment friendly area. They held that the Atuabo Gas Project has opened the place up for commercial activities and has already provided jobs for their sons and daughters, with more jobs to come.

They also noted that as a result of the Gas plant in the locality, big companies like VALCO and LONHRO have leased lands from the people to set up plants there. They said they are also awaiting the free part that is to be set up in the area. With all these, they deem it a mark of bad faith for one of their chiefs to drag the gas company to court especially at a time that the project is about to be completed to provide the nation with desperately needed gas