The Upper East Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Anthony Namoo has sought to clarify the President’s recent comments about the Upper East Regional Airport and also create a clear distinction between identifying land and securing same.
It would be called that the President, Nana Akufo Addo said that while land to be used for the Upper East Regional Airport has been identified, the government is yet to secure the land.
While it is unclear from the President’s statement where the land has been identified, he said plans are underway to secure same.
The President, speaking on GBC’s URA Radio in an interview monitored by this website explained that the issues about the land and some other internal issues are to blame for the delay in the construction of the Upper East Regional Airport.
“Land has been identified but the site has not yet been secured. That is the first thing that I have to say upfront. Part of it were internal reasons within the government.”
Earlier, in an interview with A1 Radio’s Mark Smith, the Upper East Regional Minister, Stephen Yakubu, in an exclusive interview with A1 Radio, gave a firm indication that stakeholders have finally settled on having the airport situated at Sumbrungu.
A decision, he said is final.
“As a proactive minister, I have already brought 2 contractors there already; private contractors. They have taken stock [of the site] and have gone back. I have organised meetings. We have met with the Transport Ministry, CEO of the Ghana Airport Company. We are working on it. People should just keep praying that this party stays in power for long and all their problems would be solved.”
“A committee was set up to come out with a report. The report has been completed and they have settled on Sumbrungu. That is the final location because that is the recommendation of the committee,” he said.
The two statements, some suggested were contradictory. This has however been strongly refuted by Lawyer Anthony Namoo, the Upper East Regional Chairman of the NPP.
Speaking on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East Show today, Monday, August 8, 2022, Lawyer Namoo said, “that land psychologically has been seen as the proposed site for the airport however, there is no acquisition. The State cannot just go onto a land and start appropriating it. There are procedures involved. Under the constitution, you can acquire the land and make prompt and adequate compensation.”
“Normally, these lands are acquired by Executive Instruments for the purpose of public interest. Yes, Mahama may have gone there to look at it but it does not mean that the state has done the needful. So when the President says they are doing it, that is what he meant,” he explained.
Lawyer Namoo stressed that “you cannot go onto anyone’s land and just start developing it.”
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana