VAG to rehabilitate Kumasi apartments

The Veterans Administration of Ghana (VAG) will rehabilitate its age-old apartments built by the British colonial administration at the Gurugu Lines in Kumasi to offer a pleasant place of residence for veterans who occupy the place.

The rehabilitation, to be financed by the VAG, will start early next year and will initially affect about 500 occupants.

An eviction notice will soon be sent to the occupants, including about 40 veterans, relatives of deceased veterans, as well as other illegal occupants who are not associated with VAG in any way, to enable them relocate.

The Executive Director of VAG, Col Chris Oscar Affra Nutakor (Retd), who disclosed this at a day's durbar of the Ashanti Regional members of the VAG in Kumasi, said only affected veterans and relatives of deceased veterans would be made to return to the apartments after the rehabilitation, and they would enter into a tenancy agreement with the veterans administration.

The apartments, which were constructed by the British Colonial administration to resettle Ghanaian veterans who fought in the Second World War, had been in a bad state of disrepair.

Apart from the few veterans and other dependants at the place, some illegal occupants, including suspected miscreants, were occupying some of the buildings.

Col Nutakor called on all residents in the area to comply with the directive when the time was due.

He assured the members that the VAG office would address all such issues raised, such as non-payment of veteran widow's gratuity, office complex and rest house, among others, at the appropriate time.

The Public Relations Office of VAG, Captain Victor Ansah (Retd), intimated that the Kumasi durbar formed part of Col Nutakor's nationwide tour, since he took office as the new executive director.

The tour, he said, was to provide the executive director with the opportunity to have first hand information about the situation on the ground and discuss the content of the VAG Law.

That, he added, was also to afford Col Nutakor the opportunity to educate VAG members on their roles in building a strong organisation.

It was also intended to find ways of generating funds, possibly by entering into partnership with some organisations.

Col Nutakor and his team have already visited VAG members in the Volta, Brong Ahafo and Upper West regions.

By John Kyei-Boateng/Daily Graphic/Ghana