Executive member of Ashaiman Farmers Association, Mr. Ben Kanati
Farmers at the Ashaiman irrigation site have expressed displeasure as their farmlands have been given out to Ideal College for the construction of a remedial school.
The farmers have accused the Ashaiman Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Irrigation Development Authority (IDA) and the chief of Ashaiman as being the brain behind the sale of the land to the developer.
According to the farmers, the land which was purposed for the construction of a farm warehouse has been sold by authorities for the construction of a remedial school instead.
Speaking at a press conference to register their grievances, Mr Ben Kanati, the marketing executive member of the Ashaiman Farmers Association indicated that the MCE and the developer have threatened the lives of farmers such that they are unable to speak out.
“As at now the project is being encroach and the worst is that site within the premises of the project proposed by the farmers for storage facilities was given to a private businessman to build school for remedial classes. For this reason, we the farmers disagree but the senior officers at the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority (GIDA) and MCE insisted that the school should be built there,” Mr Ben Kanati said.
He added, “the farmers lives are in danger because we are being threatened by the intruder and the MCE of Ashaiman.”
Ben Kanati further expressed that the qualms of the farmers is not against the building of the school but the location. He called on authorities including the Agriculture Minister to come to the intervention of farmers since they no longer have access to their land which was purposed for the construction of a storage house.
“We the farmers at the Ashaiman Irrigation are appealing to the Minister of Agriculture, all related authorities and the public to intervene to salvage the situation for the farmers who produce food for the municipality and the nation at large as the encroachment of our land is concerned , Mr Ben Kenati said whiles shedding tears, Mr Ben Kanati said.
He went on to say, “They are threatening our lives, the intruder and the MCE simply because we don’t agree that the place should be given to the school to be built.”
According to some farmers present at the press conference the land was acquired by Kwame Nkrumah for the development of Agriculture, another also alleged that chiefs in the area connived in drafting a new land plan to enable them acquire lands in the area illegitimately.
