By Benjamin A. Commey
Accra, Oct 09, GNA – The Coalition of La Associations (COLA) has given the La Traditional Council a three-week ultimatum to update the people of La on the status of the 114 acres “reclaimed” Kpletso lands from the Military.
The Coalition said failure by the authorities to do so within the given timeline would lead to a series of actions, including demonstrations.
The Coalition made the demand at a news conference addressed by its Spokesperson, Mr Jeffery Tetteh, in Accra, on Monday.
The La Traditional Council, on September 22, 2023, performed what it termed “traditional rites” to signify reclamation of some 114 acres of land that it had retrieved from the Ghana Military base in Accra.
The said acres of land formed part of 350 acres of land, which the traditional council started to reclaim from the Military some years ago.
The Government, in a bid to address the matter between the traditional council and the Military, constituted a subcommittee that ruled that 114 acres of the land be released to the Council.
The remaining 236 acres were to be retained by the Military for development purposes.
However, the Military, in a quick response on September 27, dismissed that it had relinquished the said acres of land to the people of La.
A subsequent press conference by the traditional authorities to clarify the issue was called off after some government officials reached out to the Council for further engagement.
Mr Tetteh said since that meeting, the traditional authorities had failed to update the people of La on the status of the “retrieved” lands.
He also indicated that the traditional authorities had not been “transparent” and “truthful” with them over the reclaimed kpletso lands and other associated lands the people were seeking to retrieve from the State.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the media, Niimɛ (chiefs) have attended the first meeting, they have attended the second meeting and up until now, they have not informed us what has transpired. This is not transparent,” he said.
Mr Tetteh accused the traditional authorities of being “in bed” with the government to “rob” the people of La of lands which belonged them.
“Our chiefs are so warned from today that we shall not countenance their sleeping attitude… They should rise to the occasion and prove that they are leaders and lead us so, we can follow them.
“If you are a leader and you have no followers, you are leading nothing so, they should prove that they are the leaders by taking the initiative and we will follow,” he said.
Mr Tetteh added that: “In the next three weeks, we are going to institute a series of actions both on our traditional authorities and on government and we are going to start with series of demonstrations.”
Mr Tetteh also expressed concern over the delay in the reconstruction of the La General Hospital, a situation he said had led to the loss of many lives.
The Hospital was demolished in 2019 for reconstruction.
Mr Tetteh said the people were no longer interested in “government’s failed promises”, urging it to immediately begin the reconstruction of the Hospital or release the land to the people.
“We are asking government to actually release the land, we have spoken with investors, they are willing to help us reconstruct the La General Hospital, but it seems government is unwilling to release the land to us simply because they feel if we do it as a self-help-project, it is going to go as a disgrace to them.
“But we are still on that issue, we are pushing as hard as we can and if we are able to secure that land, we will bring in investors to help us reconstruct the Hospital,” he added.
GNA