Samia Abandons Constituents

Four communities in Jomoro have leveled charges of abandonment and neglect against the Member of Parliament for Jomoro Constituency, Honourable Samia Yaaba Nkrumah, in the on-going land dispute with the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC).

The communities namely,Bonyere, Kabla-Suazo, Dum-Suazo and Egbazo have in the last couple of months been battling the GNPC over the latter’s attempts to illegally annex large track of land, which GNPC says is 22 Square Kilometres for the siting of a Gas processing plant and machinery for the petrochemical industry in the area.

They said despite the fact that the case is potentially explosive and could threaten the peace and stability of the area, their MP has not shown interest in helping to resolve the matter saying her silence was “too loud and deafening”

In separate interviews with The Lead, opinion leaders in the affected communities wondered why Hon. Samia Nkrumah had not found it necessary to visit them to see how an amicable solution could be found to the dispute.

‘We have been fighting this matter alone, yet we have an MP who sits in Accra and pretends not hear about our plight” they said.

They expressed regret electing Samia as their representative in the National Assembly, adding if they knew she would abandon them in times of need they would not have elected her.

John Kabenla, a youth activict disclosed that in the run up to the 2008 parliamentary elections, Samia was introduced to them as the daughter of Dr.Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first President and a proud daughter of the Nzema land. ‘Wo se oye Kwame Nkrumah ba enti yento aba mma no’

“We were therefore asked to vote her since she was the right person who could protect out interest,” he revealed to The Lead.

The communities in principle are not against the project; their concern however is the manner in which the GNPC was grabbing their land without recourse to the real owners.

Meanwhile Madam Samia Nkrumah has denied ever abandoning her constituents.

She told The Lead in a telephone interview that she had been working on the quiet to get the concerns of the affected communities addressed.

She said she had written formally to the GNPC about the matter and was looking forward to meeting them to iron out issues.

The Jomoro MP admitted the case was explosive and needed to be resolved quickly. She said there was the need for wider consultation involving all stakeholders .The MP opined that in the nation’s quest to exploit its resources, it was important transparency issues were not swept under the carpet.

She promised meeting the four communities on the October 22 to hold a discussion on the way forward.

Source: The Lead( Korku Devitor& Napo Ali Fusseini)