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A man describing himself as a citizen of La, in Accra, has written to the indigenous families of the area, seeking to stir them up to rally for compensation for lands that the government acquired for the permanent of the International Trade Fair Center.
In a letter dated 2nd April, 2024, Samuel Konney Mensah, tells the families that they have been sleeping on their rights to compensation, and that this has led to a situation where the government has not only neglected to compensate them, but has also left the acquired lands at the mercy of third party grabbers.
“I write to inform you of a critical issue concerning the land acquisition that took place in 1967 by the then government of the Republic of Ghana for the establishment of an international trade fair. A total of 236 acres was acquired for this purpose, yet to date, no compensation has been provided to the rightful owners. This lack of compensation has led to severe consequences. The intended purpose of the land acquisition, which was which was to benefit the community through the Trade Fair has been undermined. The land is currently being exploited and shared among private individuals and companies, greatly harming the allodial owners and the La community at large,” Mr. Konney wrote.
Saying he is a concerned citizen of the community, he demanded that the community stand up and pursue the government for the immediate payment of compensation, or return the lands back to the allodial owners.
“I demand that compensation for the acquired land be paid without further delay. This compensation is long overdue and its crucial for addressing the injustices faced by the allodial owners
Alternatively, if compensation cannot be expedited, we demand the return of our land. The continued misuse and development of the land without compensation are unacceptable and violate the rights of the allodial owners,” he wrote.
According to him, the government has made a proposition through the Lands Commission to pay out Ghc74million as compensation, however that sum, he said, is an insulting morsel compared to US$200million which independent valuers have valued the land’s worth to be.
“It may interest you to know that the Lands Commission in recent times proposed a tea bread sum of Ghc74,000,000 as against US$200million proposed by an independent valuer appointed by the negotiations team to the Traditional Council as compensation for 102 acres of land.”