Tema Indigenes in Crisis, Akufo-Addo Must Step In – Sakumor Shrine Secretary
The Secretary to the Tema Sakumor shrine has sounded the knell on what he says is an existential crisis that the indigenes of Tema, Ghana’s premier industrial city, are facing.
In a statement released to the public on Thursday, Mr. Stephen Ashitey Adjei, alias Moshake, lists the wanton theft and sale of lands belonging to the indigenes as the main factor behind the existential crisis.
“As we speak, almost every inch of Ashaiman, which originally was the farmland of the indigenes of Tema has been sold. And within Tema itself, people keep stealing and selling our lands everyday resulting in a situation where the average indigene of Tema does not own a land,” Moshake wrote.
“This being our hometown, what is to become of us when the last plot of land is stolen or sold out; where would we go to?” he asked rhetorically, adding, “It is not hard at all to see that we the people of Tema are now facing an existential crisis”. Moshake added.
Mr. Ashitey Adjei, who is popularly called Moshake, warned that the developments are causing tensions among the youth and that unless president Akufo-Addo commissions an investigation into the issue, the tensions will degenerate into chaos.
Meanwhile, the wanton theft and illegal sale of lands is just one of many factors putting the indigenes of Tema in existential crisis according to the statement by Moshake. “
Our youth face unemployment even though we host Ghana’s premier industrial city with enclaves of companies that employ outsiders all the time.”
Also, he said the Tema Manhean residential areas which belong to the indigenes have been invaded with dangerous refineries which can wipe out the whole area in the event of an accident that leads to an explosion.
According to him, “while these issues are festering, most of the elders of Tema have kept quiet and turned their face away because they themselves are accomplices in the crimes that are threatening the very existence of the indigenes of Tema.”
And the situation, he said, is not helped by the fact that Tema has not had a paramount chief since the death of the Tema Mantse, Nii Adjei Kraku ll three years ago.
Moshake explained that as the host of Ghana’s premier industrial city, the indigenes of Tema have sacrificed a lot.
“In the 50s, Ghana’s first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, had sought to relocate us to our farmlands in Ashaiman, Adjei Kojo and Zeenu in order to pave way for the construction of the Tema harbour, with Sir William Halcrow, a British consulting engineer who was to ensure the implementation of the Tema plan from Milton Keynes in Britain.
We briefly relocated, however because Ashaiman was too far from the sea and we primarily are fishers, the relocation did not go through. President Nkrumah then decided on the compromise solution of relocating us to the current Tema Manhean which is closer to the sea, where one can easily use a canoe to go for fishing.” Moshake wrote.
According to him, the people did not receive compensation for the land that was taken for the Tema harbour, the construction of the Tema Township and heavy industrial area but there was an arrangement for compound houses to be built for the people in Tema Manhean, our current location.
“Also, an arrangement was made for indigenes to be allocated houses in every Community of Tema. Along with this, companies were also to prioritize the indigenes of Tema in matters of employing staff.”
The statement said that even though the quota system is still supposed to be in operation, nobody knows what has become of it as a few elders have hijacked it.
“And so, many of our youth remain unemployed even though we have many big and prestigious companies on our lands.”
“These same elders who are few are also behind the illegal sale of Tema lands.”
He wrote that the elders are so greedy and dubious that they have also hijacked and are running many public toilets donated by VALCO which they do not account to anybody.
“Again, as a benefit, there was agreement that the Volta Aluminium Company would offer Tema youth scholarships. The last time I checked VALCO was still giving the scholarship quota however, no one can tell how these offers are used because the same greedy elders have hijacked these scholarships,” Moshake wrote.
He pointed out that as part of the agreement to grant the Meridian Port Services to build a Port in Tema, it was pointed out that the port could be an instigator of tidal waves that would harm the people and so MPS should also reserve an employment quota for the indigenes as well as certain social corporate responsibilties. However, the MPS quota is also in controversy.
Moshake who recently went on a one-man demonstration against MPS, said that the problems with MPS are beginning to repeat themselves in as far as another big company, the Sentuo Oil refinery is concerned. “I have personally met with the Chairman of Sentuo Group of companies, Mr. Xi Ninquan, before and he has told me that they are willing to build storey buildings to house the indigenes since the refinery’s location is dangerous to the indigenes. However, due to lack of leadership, Sentuo themselves are not too sure what to do.” Moshake stated.
He lamented that “this is so because as things stand now, Tema does not have a traditional leader who can organize the people for development,” wondering why since the demise of Nii Adjei Kraku ll, no new Tema Mantse has been enstooled.
This is not the first time that Moshake has raised these issues, in 2002, he criticized the elders over the indiscriminate sale of Tema lands. Then in 2010, he petitioned late president Mills over the sale of a piece of land behind the Tema Naval base to a company called Wilmar. Mills in response, commissioned the Steve Obimpeh Committee which reversed the sale.
Over the illegal charge of property rates from Ewe fishmongers who have been settlers on a piece of land called the U-Compound for over 50 years, Moshake again petitioned President Akufo-Addo and the few greedy elders and their collaborators at the Tema Metropolitan Assembly, were stopped. Jubilee House would subsequently summon then MCE, Felix Mensah Nii Annang-La and warn him.
In his statement, Moshake vows that he will never relent until the few nefarious elders and their collaborators are exposed and stopped.
“I will also like to serve notice that if these issues that I have raised are not resolved, we the youth in Tema will embark on a massive demonstration,” he concluded.
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