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Achimota Forest saga: Owoo family breaks silence
The Owoo family in Accra, have expressed their displeasure about the ongoing public discourse on the alleged declassification of the Achimota Forest in Accra.
According to them, they have suffered, ‘grave historical injustice’.
In a statement by the principal elders of the family on Thursday, the family disclosed that, to date, they have not taken custody of any parcel of land in the Achimota Forest.
This, they said, is on what is due, despite their engagements with various regimes in the fourth republic.
“The Owoo Family, the pre-acquisition owners, of all the land acquired in 1921 and 1927 for the Achimota School, have suffered grave historical injustice.
“The family have had to, in the past, accept and/or acquiesce to terms to enable it move on which it strongly believes have been unfair and unjust.
“The much talked about August 19, 2016 ceremony which has been erroneously stated in the public as an occasion when the land was released to the Owoo family is false and misleading,” the family said.
According to the family spokesperson, “That ceremony was a sod-cutting ceremony for the development of the Achimota Forest into an Eco-Tourism park. The Owoo family were mere invitees/guests.”
The Owoo family said it has always maintained that compensation has not been paid for the 1927 acquisition”, portions of the statement emphasised.
The family also added, “the acreage due the Owoo family was arrived at through a long-standing negotiation which in many respects predates the current administration. This was done with the active involvement of various State technical negotiators and agencies.
“The Owoo family has petitioned all governments in the fourth republican dispensation and indeed is yet to take possession of any parcel of land to date”.
The concerns by the Owoo family, were in reaction to recent discussions on the Achimota Forest, following the circulation of an eight-paged document which was widely circulated on social media.
The document purported to mean that the classification of the Achimota Forest Reserve has been lifted to pave way for a possible redevelopment for other purposes.
According to the Owoo family, it initially restrained itself from commenting on the matter; but has been compelled to set the records straight, due to the misrepresentations in the public.
Having stated their side of the story, they pledged to conduct themselves in a manner, “which will not compromise the ecological integrity of the adjoining forest reserve”.
They also called on the general public to disregard any misleading contributions to the ongoing public discussions.
Source: www.adomonline.com
The Member of Parliament for Ofoase Ayirebi, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has disbursed GHS134,000 to 22 students under the latest round of his Scholarship and Bursaries Programme.
According to a statement from his office, the 22 beneficiaries are enrolled in 16 tertiary institutions across the country.
They are studying various courses, including medicine, marketing, law, public health, midwifery, business administration, education, and secretaryship.
The MP’s office commended the beneficiaries, especially the five students currently studying medicine and physician assistantship, encouraging them to remain committed to their studies.
The statement indicated that the scholarship initiative, which began in 2017, aims to support brilliant but needy students from the Ofoase Ayirebi Constituency to further their education. So far, about 700 students have benefited from the program.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Four tricycle operators, popularly known as ‘Pragya’, have been prosecuted and fined GH¢600 each equivalent to 50 penalty units by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) Sanitation Court for obstructing public roads at the Agbogbloshie Market.
The offenders, who were arrested by Public Health Officers of the AMA during a routine enforcement exercise, pleaded guilty to the offence and were subsequently convicted by the court.
The four operators were among the 21 offenders recently arrested at the Agbogbloshie Market for various sanitation and public order violations, including selling on open drains, obstructing walkways, and trading at unauthorised locations.
Speaking after the court proceedings, the Head of Public Health at the AMA, Madam Florence Kuukyi, said the court was lenient with the offenders since it was their first appearance, hence the fine, and warned that subsequent offenders would face stiffer penalties, including imprisonment.
