{"id":368488,"date":"2017-11-06T06:55:03","date_gmt":"2017-11-06T06:55:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=368488"},"modified":"2017-11-06T06:55:03","modified_gmt":"2017-11-06T06:55:03","slug":"uhas-land-owner-writes-to-citi-fm-over-unpaid-compensation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/11\/uhas-land-owner-writes-to-citi-fm-over-unpaid-compensation\/","title":{"rendered":"UHAS land owner writes to Citi FM over unpaid compensation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Seven years after government compulsorily acquired 702 acres of land for the establishment of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), the 78 owners of the land say they wallow in abject poverty, and are frustrated\u00a0 over government’s failure to compensate them.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a letter sent to Citi FM<\/strong>, a disgruntled landowner,\u00a0Felix Komlah Mensah, said despite the provisions made in the constitution for prompt compensation for such compulsory acquisition of land by the state, successive governments have failed to meet that obligation.<\/span><\/p>\n

He said after several petitions and legal battles, cabinet under the erstwhile Mahama government approved the payment,\u00a0and gave assurances to release the money.<\/span><\/p>\n

He however says a<\/span>fter they spent money to process land documents upon the requests of the government, the monies were never released.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Avle, the statement of the former President was corroborated by officials of the Attorney General\u2019s Department at a meeting with them in Accra after we went to the Ho high court to seek an injunction on the university that, indeed enough amount of money was placed in an escrow account solely for the payment of UHAS land compensation.The question now is, how come that after signing our Offer for almost a year, payment from an escrow account is still an issue for the Finance Ministry\u201d he stated.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Komlah Mensah also lamented the use of the property by politicians, staff, and students, without due diligence made to property owners.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBernard, I wish to illustrate our plight by the photograph above, where the lean, poor and hungry man is UHAS landowners, whiles the big\/fat man being carried is the University community comprising of members of the Government (Politicians),Governing Council ,Vice-Chancellor and Lecturers who get well paid, contractors who execute lofty contracts, the soon to be built 300 PPP comfortable housing\u00a0 scheme for lecturers among others, whilst the owners of the land are left to wallow in abject poverty and frustration. As for the law, its rightful or wrongful application is in the hands of the rich who are made up of politicians.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Government, through an Executive Instrument (EI), compulsorily acquired the lands for the first public university in the Volta Region, which was established by an Act of Parliament in 2011.<\/span><\/p>\n

Appealing to the current government to respond to their concerns, Felix Mensah called for the disbursement of the money saved in the escrow account.<\/span><\/p>\n

Find below the full petition<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

PETITION TO APPEAL TO FINANCE MINISTRY TO PAY COMPENSATION TO FRUSTRATED OWNERS OF THE 702 ACRES UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH AND ALLIED SCIENCES (UHAS) LAND, HO<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Hello Mr. Bernard Koku Avle, this letter is to inform and appeal to your outfit of my plight and other 77 frustrated land owners of the University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho who have been delayed\/denied payment for lands compulsorily acquired in 2012 by the state.<\/p>\n

Despite cabinet approval for payment of our compensation, the Finance Ministry is yet to honor that approval for payment. We have recognized the numerous results that relevant radio led by you and CitiFM has brought to numerous vulnerable Ghanaians. We therefore put this petition before you to help us since high level diplomacy has failed.<\/p>\n

BACKGROUND<\/strong><\/p>\n

The University of Health and Allied Sciences was established by an act of Parliament in 2012. Subsequent to that was the need to build infrastructure leading to the invocation of Article 20 of the 1992 constitution of Republic of Ghana.<\/p>\n

However, sections of Article 20 were abused with respect to a non consultation with land owners before entering the land, followed by the deliberate delay in payment till today, October 2017. However in the public interest, we allowed for use of our land whiles government take steps to pay us promptly.<\/p>\n

PROCESSES<\/strong><\/p>\n

We were then required to engage the services of a consultant, certainly not for free to write to the president. An Executive Instrument<\/em><\/strong> was then issued in 2013. Survey and mapping then began and completed which brought out a composite plan, followed by valuation at the Land Valuation Division of the Lands Commission all of which revolved around the many bureaucracies in our state institutions.<\/p>\n

In November2016, after a long undue delay and frustration, the Lands Commission Board approved the valuation and payment which came in the form of Offer and Acceptance. All land owners accepted their Offers in December, 2016. Following the delay in payment before the previous government under which the offer was signed left office, our signed and accepted Offers were then subjected to reconsideration by the new Lands Commission Board in April, 2017.<\/p>\n

It was then approved and forwarded by the Lands Commission to the sector ministry, Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources with all delays expected of our government institutions.\u00a0 Clearance for payment was then given by the Minister and forwarded to the Finance ministry in June 2017. I really doubt any office of the Finance Ministry our documents did not pass.<\/p>\n

Bernard, we were then told that, our payment needed to be approved by Cabinet. The Schedule Officer then forwarded same to Cabinet. Fortunately, without much delay, Cabinet gave approval for payment.<\/p>\n

Now we came back to the Finance Ministry for payment to be effected. Since July, 2017, Bernard in fact, I can say on authority that , our consultant have done all necessary administrative procedures required for payment\u00a0 to be effected, but never have we been paid till today.<\/p>\n

Several pleadings from some powerful people who share in our plight to get the Finance Minister pay us for our own property forcibly taken from us proved futile till now. In fact, the Finance Minister is very much aware our plight.<\/p>\n

PROMISES FROM FORMER PRESIDENT AND A.G\u2019s DEPARTMENT<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bernard, promises of payment began from our former President, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama. On two occasions; at the commissioning and first congregation of UHAS, the promise of the availability of the money for compensation was made known to us, as being deposited and payment was only awaiting completion of the processes at the Lands Commission at the time<\/p>\n

Mr. Avle, the statement of the former President was corroborated by officials of the Attorney General\u2019s Department at a meeting with them in Accra after we went to the Ho high court to seek an injunction on the university that, indeed enough amount of money was placed in an escrow account<\/strong> solely for the payment of UHAS land compensation.<\/p>\n

The question now is, how come that after signing our Offer for almost a year, payment from an escrow account is still an issue for the Finance Ministry.<\/p>\n

Bernard, on behalf of my other frustrated UHAS landowners, I sincerely appreciate your station\u2019s efforts in bringing our plight on your programs from the beginning and further appeal once again to your outfit to help us by means of your programs either on the Citi Breakfast Show, Eyewitness News or any other platform to help get what is due us from the state.<\/p>\n

We are ever ready to speak on the matter publicly if we are offered an opportunity which we fervently hope for.<\/p>\n

\"image\"<\/p>\n

Finally, Bernard, I wish to illustrate our plight by the photograph above, where the lean, poor and hungry man is UHAS landowners, whiles the big\/fat man being carried is the University community comprising of members of the Government (Politicians),Governing Council ,Vice-chancellor and Lecturers who get well paid, Contractors who execute lofty contracts, the soon to be built 300 PPP comfortable housing\u00a0 scheme for lecturers among others while the owners of the land are left to wallow in abject poverty and frustration. As for the law, its rightful or wrongful application is in the hands of the rich who are made up of politicians.<\/p>\n

–<\/p>\n

By: King Nobert Akpablie\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Seven years after government compulsorily acquired 702 acres of land for the establishment of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), the 78 owners of the land say they wallow in abject poverty, and are frustrated\u00a0 over government’s failure to compensate them. In a letter sent to Citi FM, a disgruntled landowner,\u00a0Felix Komlah Mensah, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2,11],"tags":[580,42,690],"yoast_head":"\nUHAS land owner writes to Citi FM over unpaid compensation - Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. 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