Tema Squatters appeal to President Akufo-Addo to call Tema Mayor to order

Squatters at the Tema Community-10 Ramsar Site and Tema Community-6 SOS down have lamented and kicked against an ongoing construction close to 'Agala Lagoon' which threatens the water body.

They are therefore calling on President Nana Akufo Addo to sack the Mayor of Tema Hon. Annan Mensah from office.

They made this known at a press conference in Tema over the weekend.

The squatters claimed that they have hints that the Tema Metro and some government officials have sold the government reserved land at Tema Community 10 Ramsar Site and Tema Community 6 SOS down which is near Agala Lagoon to a Chinese company to construct a hospital.

One of the residents who only gave his name Obama insisted the construction project will threaten the existence of the Lagoon.

"One day we were here and some officials came to tell us to vacate from the land because they have sold the land to somebody. On that day, GH¢1500 was presented to some of us present. I can say that our Mayor has a fair knowledge of what am saying.

...What the Mayor is doing here is not good, for Tema to grow the president has to sack him. The land in question belongs to the government and he has no right to sell that land to anyone, especially foreigners. We are also citizens of Ghana and we vote too so the president must also hear our cries. We know we suppose not to stay here but because we don't have anywhere to go that's why we are here in the mean time".

He went on to add "sometimes the lagoon spills over when it runs and we are even compelled to stay in people's houses for sometime before we return to our kiosks. This place is not to be sold at all. Our Mayor doesn't have our interest at heart even when items are given to him to share with us whenever there is a spillage."

They indicated that they the President to sack the Mayor immediately because that he is not doing any diligent work but rather diligently rather his "selfish interest."

They took the journalists round the Lagoon and it was witnessed that some loose aggregates of rock fragments were being used to stop the free flow of the Lagoon.

"As you can see, here are the loose aggregates of rock fragments on the site; if this project is not stopped it will not only affect the people of Tema but people beyond Tema in a big disaster", he explained.

He seized the opportunity to call on the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Hon. Henry Quartey to visit the community and stop all activities going on there.

Madam Rejoice Dzogebe, a former squatter at Community-6 SOS Down also added that the land is not conducive nor environmentally friendly to be sold to someone because the lagoon overflows and spills over when it runs, and it should be allowed to flow.

In a similar development, a youth group at Tema Community-4 is not happy about the sale of the only Greenbelt Community to some Indians for a hospital project.

They alleged that the Tema Metro has sold out the only greenbelt of the community to an Indian investment company to build another hospital close to Narh-Bita hospital.

According to them, the greenbelt is the only reservation the community has.

Speaking to Kwame Yeboah, he said that the land shouldn't be sold and in any case, the community was not consulted before the land was sold.

"Because of that land, our mayor has been pointing fingers at the Assemblymember for Horticulture Electoral Area community Hon Babatunde which led to his suspension simply because he said the land is the only reserve the community has and if it must be sold they need to engage the community first.

So as I speak, we don't have an Assemblyman because he is on a one-year suspension and we don't understand why it should be so. What is the Mayor trying to hide? Is it because he spoke in the interest of the community, is that fair? It's like our Mayor doesn't want the best for Tema. We the youth demand that the Assemblymember be recalled to post to continue the work which he was elected for", he said.

The Tema Community-4 Greenbelt served as a marketplace for market women during the lockdown. They used it for various commercial activities when the need arose.

"So we ask, why should it be sold now? It must continue to be the greenbelt for the community. The Regional Minister, Henry Quartey should question the Tema Mayor over all these illegalities."