La chiefs draw dagger at government over neglect at state functions

La chiefs and members of the La Traditional Council are angry at the disrespectful treatment they received from the Akufo-Addo led government concerning sate functions.

Members of the Traditional Council, Free Press gathered, were recently invited to a sod cutting ceremony for the construction of a Clinic at Tse Addo and waited the whole day but no government official showed up at the said event and did not receive any official communication and apology from government on why the event did not take place.

As if the 'snub' was not enough, the traditional authorities were invited for another sod cutting ceremony for the construction of a drainage system at Adiembra Electoral Area, but again no government official showed up tp the said event.

Mr. Augustine Nii Amoah Nai, the Spokesperson for Coalition of La Youth Associations [COLA] told this paper that during the one year celebration of the late Major Maxwell Mahama organized by Ghana Armed Forces and the decision taken to erect a statue of the deceased military officer was unilaterally arrived at without consulting La chiefs and La traditional council who are the bonafide owners of the land on which the statue is being erected. This development according to him did not go down well with the traditional authorities.

Waxing lyrical and poetic, he said “How can a perching bird become the owner of the tree to dictate the pace of development? Was Major Mahama not hailing from a certain traditional area to be honoured there?

As a military hierarchy, have you considered that in the history of Ghana there is a more hero in the name of sergeant Adjetey in La, who deserves better than your worshipping hero”?

The Spokesperson for COLA said the inactions and actions of the Government of day including it officials shows clearly that La Traditional Council members and its people are being taken for granted. A visibly livid Nii Amoah Nai also launched a vitriolic attack on Hon. Dominic Nitiwul, the Minister for Defense for allegedly superintending what he described “the unnecessary appropriating more lands illegally for the military in recent times knowing for a fact that those lands were under dispute and several cases of court action on them apart from the unnecessary construction of the so called military cemetery when a whole La cemetery is getting full.”

He was not happy about the recent upsurge of government interest in its beaches through what he termed as “irresponsible actions” of the military led by Colonel Apenkwah and his cohorts with guns, weapons ammunitions causing mayhem and demolishing of properties at the Laboma beach where a lot of investment had been made. Nii Amoah Nai said Colonel Apenkwah has also written to the Land Commission to compulsorily acquire the land on which the Laboma beach is situated.

He appealed to President Akufo-Addo to expedite action on all petitions sent to his office on the release of La and Ga Dangme lands to their original owners, sanction the Minister of Defense for his action relating to the gross insubordination to chiefs and people of La including the illegal annexation of lands for the military.

He also urged the Commander in-Chief of Ghana Armed Forces to intervene so payment of full compensation was made on lands acquired by Government and respect equity agreements between government and the people of La for all lands. Nii Amoah Nai further called for total withdrawal of government interest in La beaches.