Gov’t must pay full compensation to Nii Afutu Brempong Family for land acquisition—Pantang chief

THE Nii Afutu Brempong Family of Pantang, a suburb of Accra, has urged the government to pay the full compensation for the lands it acquired for the establishment of the Pantang Mental Hospital and the national orthopedic centre.

The family said the government acquired 87.2 acres for the Pantang hospital and 344.9 acres 1980 for the national orthopaedic centre but had over the years failed to respond to the family’s call to pay the compensation for many decades.

“The family has been engaging the government in many fora for compensation to be paid and also release the vacant land outside the acquisition to the family for their use but it appears that there is no realistic hope of the government finding funds to settle the compensation,” it said.
Judgement

Addressing a press conference at Pantang last Friday, the Chief of Pantang, Nii Kotey Afutu Brempong III, recalled a judgement of an Accra High Court on March 30, 201 delivered by her Ladyship Justice Mrs Elizabeth Ankuma, which held that the Pantang Hospital had encroached a portion of the land belonging to the family.

“This clearly shows that the hospital does not own all the parcel of land around it neither does it have ownership over every available stretch of land in and around the hospital. But the hospital has left its acquired land of 87.2 and 344.9 acres which the family has still not been compensated for,” he stated.

Strike actions unwarranted

Nii Kotey Afutu Brempong said rather than the government paying the compensation the family was due, the management of the Pantang Hospital had been fighting the family over portions of land left for the family’s use.
That, he said, had triggered the frequent and recent demonstrations and sit-downs strike by staff of the hospital who claimed the hospital’s land been encroached.

“The family is amazed at how staff of the hospital have shown much interest in the land belonging to a family but not the hospital hence leaving their required responsibility for which they have sworn an oath to serve and save the lives of mankind and fighting for lands which they have no institutional knowledge staff about,” he said.

The Pantang chief added: “As a chief of the town and also a citizen of Ghana, I have made up my mind to step in to resolve the hospital and family issues amicably to allow cool heads to prevail.”

Attorney

To deal with all issues surrounding land sales and land guard harassment by unscrupulous people, he pledged his commitment to end the developments in the area.

“I and my council are putting every available structure in place to help solve all these teething problems and nib it in the bud and I assure you,” he pledged.

Nii Kotey Afutu Brempong III also announced the appointment of an attorney to administer lands under his jurisdiction.

“So a company by name Maspaco has been given this power of attorney to administer the lands in Pantang in consultation with council of elders and principal elders of the family and the family taskforce made up of the youth,” he said.

@ a glance

THE Nii Afutu Brempong Family of Pantang, a suburb of Accra, has urged the government to pay the full compensation for the lands it acquired for the establishment of the Pantang Mental Hospital and the national orthopaedic centre.

Pix: Nii Kotey Afutu Brempong III (right), the Chief of Pantang, addressing the press.

Source: Ghana/otecfmghana.com