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28.04.2008 Regional News

Nzema Council Cautions Against Mad Rush For Land

28.04.2008 LISTEN
By Clement Adzei Boye, Takoradi - newtimesonline.com

The Nzema Manle Council has warned chiefs in the Nzema traditional area that it will resist 'arbitrary' sale of lands in the wake of the oil discovery in the area.

The council said reports reaching it indicate that, some chiefs were selling lands including stool lands indiscriminately to people who claim to be investors, particularly in the oil industry.

The president of the council, Awulae Annor Adjaye III, gave the warning last Wednesday when contributing to a discussion at a forum on oil and gas.

'A lot of people are buying lands from the Ahanta and Half Assini areas and we want to advise against it,' he warned.

'No individual can take that land to the detriment of the future generation'

Awulae Adjaye, who is also the Omanhene of Western Nzema (Beyin) said the council would work closely with the Ahanta traditional council to 'halt the impunity on the sale of lands in the two traditional areas.'

'The land is for us and the future generation and we should not toy with stool lands,' he added.

Awulae Adjaye said, 'we will not allow this to continue, and any chief or paramount chief who does that will face the reaction from us.'

He observed that the 'arbitrary' sale of land between Accra and Kasoa had led to the wastage of land saying 'nobody was building a high-rise structure' on that stretch of land.

Awulae Adjaye appealed to the lands commission to stop leasing lands to individuals for projects saying 'we’ll not allow this to happen again.'

The President of the Western Regional House of Chiefs, Awulae Attibrukusu, advocated that education of the citizenry should be a 'prime target' as the nation and the Western Region are prepared to embrace the opportunities that the oil find might provided.

He said that, it is only when the youth particularly had been sponsored to take up formal education that the poverty in the area would be addressed.

The District Chief Executive for Amenfi East, Doris Oduro Gyampomah, advised the chiefs to engage legal consultants anytime they signed any Social Responsibility Agreement with any corporate entity.

She said, if the traditional leaders do this, particularly in the 'oil and gas age' they would save the future of their areas.

'If you fail to do this, you will be signing your death warrant' the DCE said.

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