A section of the demonstrators holding plackards
The youth of La, Ga Mashie, Osu, Teshie, Nungua and Tema yesterday took to the streets of La to demand the release of La Stool lands purported to have been illegally taken by the Ghana Armed Forces and some state officials.
The demonstration, which was the largest to be held since the ‘Yaabi Onye’ Demo about a decade ago, also had priests, priestesses and delegations from principal Dangme states like Ningo, Prampram, Kpone and Ada taking part in solidarity.
There was heavy deployment of soldiers around the enclave of Burma Camp, La and Teshie to prevent the demonstrating youth from straying to the military lands, already given to private developers who are putting up massive estate houses at ridiculously high prices but are reportedly not paying any compensation to the land owners.
The soldiers took positions at the private residence of the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), Air Marshall Michael Samson-Oje, along the Bush Road.
The crowd, dressed in red attires, held placards which read, “Ministers Stop Stealing Our Lands,” “Esi Gbedemah Is A Thief,” “Defence Minister Kill Us And Take Our Lands” and “No Land No Vote.”
They began from the La market through the La Township with the intention of addressing the media on one of the La Stool lands located at Burma Camp, but were forced to revert to the arena of the Ghana International Trade Fair Centre, as armed soldiers prevented the protestors from using the Palm Wine Junction route.
The youth, after waiting for close to an hour before the Municipal Chief Executive of La Dadekotopon, Irene Odoley Sowah, came to collect their petition, complained bitterly about the lack of respect the Mahama-led administration has shown to the La Stool.
Petition
Reading the petition, which was addressed to President John Dramani Mahama, President of the Coalition of La Youth Associations (COLA), Augustine Nii Amoah Nai, said, “LAMEI have kept a very loud silence even in the face of the naked robbery of their lands and other provocative things that have been dealt to Lamei and Ga Dangme people.”
He noted that government had turned deaf ears to their pleas to restore to the La Stool its lands, including the Burma Camp enclave, Ghana International Trade Fair lands, South La Estates, Adenta Aviation lands, Accra Technical Training Centre lands, Presbyterian Boys’ Senior High School, University of Ghana lands, Madina Cemetery, Cantonments lands and Social Welfare lands because the people had not had their compensations paid to them.
Nii Amoah Nai emphatically stated that the military has no land and that in 1953 there was an agreement between Lamei and the government of Ghana for the military, having paid an amount of 20 pounds, to use the lands for a period of 10 years.
He noted that at the end of the 10-year period, nothing was paid.
He revealed that a tripartite committee comprising the military, the Attorney General’s Department and La Trust, came to a resolution under the hand of the Deputy Attorney General, Dominic Ayine, that the military halt all activities relating to the lands in contention until proper acquisition formalities were consummated and the corresponding compensation paid to Lamei.
However, he said the military had not heeded to their part of the resolution, resulting in the marginalization and harassment of Lamei on their own lands.
“We want government to immediately halt the Accra Marine Drive project until government extensively engages indigenes of the target communities whose livelihood may be affected,” Nii Amoah Nai charged.
Government Response
Ms Irene Odaley Sowah, after receiving the petition on behalf of the government, apologized for her delay – a situation she blamed on misinformation.
She said once the petition had reached her, the president would take the necessary steps to address the demands of the youth.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri & Ernest Pappoe