Chief slams NADMO, AMA, KMA…For not compensating demolition victims

NANA NANABANYIN Quessy Ninsin-Imbeah II, the Nyimfahene of the Mfantseman Council of Ashanti has criticized the planned demolition exercises by the Accra and Kumasi Metropolitan Assemblies, as well as the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO).

He is not happy with the demolition exercises, because as he put it - “they do not in any way show a semblance of a human face,” particularly when the Assemblies are seriously engaged in demolishing structures sited on waterways without any compensation.

Nana Ninsin-Imbeah, who is also the Mfantsehen of Anloga/Oforikrom in Kumasi, justifying his criticism said when road expansion work are to commence, squatters within the road reservation are to be given temporal permits by the Assemblies to site their structures, which should be evaluated and accordingly compensated.

According to the chief, the fact that some houses along the Sisa stream at Anloga in Kumasi were demolished, while some houses were untouched, points to the fact that the KMA did not do a proper evaluation of the properties before the structures were pulled down.

Quoting Mr. Kofi Portuphy, the NADMO National Director as saying that “those who built on waterways without permits will not be compensated when their buildings are pulled down,” as reported by The Ghanaian Times of June 24th 2009, Nana Ninsin-Imbeah enquired from the NADMO boss what should be done to owners of properties in waterways and who are regularly billed by the Office of Administrator of Stool Lands (OASL) and the Assemblies, and pay their property rates and other forms of revenue, which are properly receipted but have had their properties demolished without any evaluation.

The criticism also comes from the fact that Liberian refugees have been properly settled at Gomoa Buduburam, while the NADMO and the Assemblies treat full blooded Ghanaians inhumanly. The chief said in responding to President Mills directive that all structures built on waterways should be demolished so as to minimize the devastating effect of floods,” as reported by the Ghanaian Times of July 9th 2009, officers should act responsibly by putting in place arrangements with a human touch.

He has, therefore, appealed to the authorities concerned to work out re-settlement arrangement for affected people of the various demolition exercises without necessarily adding to their plight.

Meanwhile, the case bordering on unwarranted demolition between a Kumasi landlord Alhaji Abdulai Makadede and the KMA has been referred to the Kumasi office of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ).

In September this year the Kumasi landlord filed a petition with the CHRAJ to intervene and prevail upon the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) to pay compensation for wrongfully demolishing of his one storey building.

The landlord, Alhaji Abdulai Makadede is demanding a total of GH¢5 million in compensation for the building on House Number SP 9 Block 15 at Oforikrom in Kumasi for which reason he has sought a directive of CHRAJ for the KMA to pay an amount of GH¢3 million for the demolished building and GH¢2 million for personnel effects as compensation

According to the landlord, agents of the KMA on August 18th 2009, invaded his premises with heavy machinery and demolished the building destroying his personal properties without any prompting. He said the action, had rendered his family, who had to flee for their dear lives homeless, after they had lost all personal effects which were mangled and destroyed beyond recognition during the demolition exercise.

The petition, dated August 30, 2009, indicated that Alhaji Makadede inherited the said plot of land from his deceased brother Salifu Borkana who had also inherited it from their late father Alhaji Abubakar.

Attached to the petition for the consideration of CHRAJ were relevant documents including receipts from the Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands, KMA and the ASI Zip Code System Limited, an agent of the KMA. The ownership of the Makadede's plot of land is confirmed by a letter dated August 1, 1998 from the Amakomhene's Secretariat.

On August 13, 2002 Alhaji Makadede paid ¢40,000 (GH¢4.00) to the Administrator of Stool Lands as stool land revenue for the period between April 1999 to March 31st 2004.

In August 2007, the landlord again paid ¢150,000 (GH¢15.00) to KMA as property rate. Alhaji Makadede also drew the attention of CHRAJ to a property rate demand note No. 0009163 issued by the KMA on April 30, 2007 which was demanding ¢269,000 (GH¢26.90) from the landlord in respect of the said plot of land.