There is growing discontent among the Ga Dangme Youth over the supposed release of some 77 plots of land to their rightful owners.
Out of the 77 plots that were supposed to have been earmarked for return to the people in areas like Madina and Adenta, the Ga Dangme Youth Association (GDYA) say only 11 have been shown to them, with the whereabouts of the remaining 66 plots still unknown.
They are therefore up in arms against President John Evans Atta Mills and his government for reneging on the several promises they made to them upon assumption of office in 2009.
Their concerns were captured in a release issued in Accra and signed by the association’s acting secretary, Augustine Nii Amoah Nai and his other colleagues including Nene Sackey Narh, Nii Yemo Yemofio and Nii Akai Nettey.
According to the Ga Dangme Youth, attempts to also retrieve documents covering the supposed released lands had equally proven unsuccessful, despite persistent reminders.
They recalled how President Mills showed concern and even gave them unwavering assurances when they presented their grievances to him, since his wife, Naadu Mills, is also a Dangme.
At the said meeting, the group said, they presented the President with a copy of their petition which was captioned ‘The Burning Issues’ and asked him to help them retrieve all their ‘stolen’ lands. But two years down the line, the GDYA said the man had shown no sense of commitment to his pledge.
Instead, they noted that the President and the newly-constituted Lands Commission, which is headed by Nana Ampofo, had turned their backs on them.
They believe that President Mills and his government only paid lip service to them since they have failed to fulfill one of their major campaign promises to return all their ‘stolen’ lands to them.
The group sought to know whether the NDC government lacked the political will to retrieve their lands and preserve them, even if not returned to the allodial owners. “Our ears are on the ground and privy to some of the leaked information contained in the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into state lands,” they warned.
The GDYA also asked why the Education Ministry was not encouraging the teaching of the Ga Adangme dialect in schools in the Greater Accra region.
They asked, “What has become of the NDC manifesto promise of integrating 40% women cabinet representation, has that been realized?” “The NDC manifesto again promised to empower the youth as they form the human resource base. How does the government reconcile that promise, vis-à-vis the removal of the most youthful woman in his cabinet?” they asked.
Source: D-Guide
