James Town Mantse warns AMA

The James Town Mantse, Obrenpon Nii Kojo Ababio V, has given the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) two weeks to evict squatters along the banks of the Korle-Lagoon or he will mobilize the Asafo company of Ngleshi to remove them.

The ultimatum which expires at the end of February is to save the lagoon from further degradation through the by-activities of the squatters.

Nii Ababio was speaking to the Chief Executive Officer of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and members of the Board of the Ghana Railway Authority (GRA), who paid a courtesy call on the Ga Traditional Council in Accra Monday.

He said the Lagoon was fast losing it ecological value due to the constant pollution by the squatters.

He said the importance of the lagoon for the people of James Town in particular, and Accra as a whole, made it imperative for immediate action to be taken to prevent it from destruction.

Nii Ababio said the rate at which the squatting population was increasing along the banks of the lagoon was quiet disturbing.

He said the encroachment by the squatters was hampering the Korle Wulomo (traditional priest) from performing his religious and customary rites.

Nii Ababio said both past and present city authorities had lacked the political will to evict the squatters.

He said the lagoon was an important natural resource that must not be allowed to go waste from the activities of a few individuals, adding, "The time has come for us as traditional authority, to rescue the lagoon because it has an important place in Ga Tradition.

"We are giving the AMA two weeks after which if no concrete steps are taken to evict these squatters, we will do so ourselves. Bear in mind that, we as land owners never gave the land out to them and, therefore we will evict them by force," he added.

Mrs. Victoria Addy, a member of the Council of State, said it was important for the traditional council to support GRA in its effort to remove persons who had taken over lands purposely acquired for rail development.

She said it was unfortunate that the country had to sit by while the rail ways degenerated to such an extent.

Mrs. Addy who is also a member of the GRA Board, said the government appreciated the suffering those who would be affected would go through, but it was important to know that the expected railway development in Accra would bring immense benefit to the majority of the people.

She said as part of measures to revamp the rail system, the rail line would be extended to James Town.

The Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Tawiah III, expressed the council's appreciation to the efforts of the city authorities to modernize the capital.

He said it was important for political authority to partner traditional authority to ensure the development of the country.

He said the Ga Traditional Council, would continue to support the AMA in its effort to decongest the city, stressing that “those claiming to own the land did not acquire it through lawful owners, therefore, they own no land at all".