Farmers Drag GNPC/VRA to court.

Some land owners and farmers of Egbazo, Kabenla suazo, Ahobre, Bonyere and Takinta community, in the Jomoro District has drag the GNPC/VRA to Court.

Akanni Abraham the spokesperson for the farmers in the above communities with the contact +2348058995876,+233241946624 is leading the farmers to court over GNPC / VRA’s impunity and lack of respect to the farmers in the on-going tussle for their lands.

It is really flabbergasting that a whole state institution like GNPC would burst into people’s property and start destroying it without any negotiation with the owners, in a country where the rule of law is adhered to.

The whole incidence started around November 2010 when the GNPC with the support of some indigenes from Jomoro started demarcating lands, when they had not sat down with the owners for any negotiation. They also went ahead to destroy some properties, such as rubber and coconut plantations on the land.

Officials and hirelings of the Ghana National Petroleum and the Volta River Authority who have been detailed to demarcate land for a government project in the Jomoro District, thus a gas processing plant to feed the Aboadze thermal plant, a petrol chemical plant possibly a refinery and a fertilizer plant. They are seeking to acquire close to 22 square km of land in the five communities for the above project.

The farmers and land owners in the above communities whose entire livelihood mainly depends on the coconut, rubber and palm plantations on the land, are not against these projects, but are only calling for the right compensation. This is because these poor farmers do not know what their fate is going to be, if the rubber coconut and palm plantations, which their entire livelihood depends on is destroyed.

It is therefore against this backdrop that these farmers under the umbrella of “Project Impact” have dragged the GNPC/VRA to court, so as to seek redress. The aggrieved farmers are being led by Lawyer Prince Nii – Ahie Neequaye and the first court hearing is scheduled for Thursday 24th November, 2011 at the Sekondi High Court.

Alfred Ebate

Alfred.ebate@yahoo.com

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