General News of Monday, 23 May 2022
Source: www.ghanaweb.live
2022-05-232018 report of how Sir John tried to stop the sale of state lands at Ramsar resurfaces
Sir John died in 2020 but his name has continued to come up for all the wrong reasons
Sir John is dead
Will of late Sir John pops up online
Forestry Commission cautions chiefs selling portions of Ramsar site
A 2018 report by graphic.com.gh with
Read full article.the title, “Forestry Commission cautions chiefs selling portions of Ramsar site,” has resurfaced online.
This is coming on the back of the release of the contents of the last Will of the late Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie (a.k.a. Sir John) online, where it clearly shows that he had acquired portions of the land at Achimota.
It would be recalled that the government stated that there was no way the lands at the Achimota Forest would be sold and that they were committed to protecting the area.
But that has turned out not to be so.
Sir John, in his Will, wrote that he owns 0.987 acres of the Achimota Forest land and he gives his portion to his nephews, Michael Owusu, Yaw Boadu and Kwabena Amoateng, forever.
"I give my land also situated at Achimota Forest in the name of Fasoh Limited and measuring 0.987 acres to my nephews Michael Owusu, Yaw Boadu and Kwabena Amoateng, forever.
"I jointly own a piece of land at Achimota Forest with Charles Owusu, upon my demise, my portion of the said land should be given to Ruth Korkor Odonkor.
"I give my portion of the land that I jointly own at the Achimota Forest in the name of DML Limited to Elizabeth Asare Boateng who at the time of making this Will is domiciled in the USA, forever," portions of Sir John's will read.
In the 2018 report, however, Sir John gave a caution to the owners of unauthorised buildings at the Sakumono Ramsar site, telling them to rectify their stay on the land as tenants,
He also added that no chief had the right to sell lands in the protected area.
Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie (Sir John), while speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting in Accra, said the site was owned wholly by the government and meant for protecting Sakumono, Tema and their environs against flood, pollution, breeding of fish for the Sakumono Lagoon as well as recreational activities.
“After 2006, we noticed that the place was being encroached by illegal developers. We did carry out some demolition in the past with the support of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly and TDC.
“We have also put out a number of publications in the dailies, alerting people that the Forestry Commission has not given any chief or individual any right to sell land or authorise the putting up of buildings within the Ramsar Site. We have also warned the public not to purchase land within the Ramsar Site, from anybody,” he said.
It is worth mentioning that in the last will of Sir John, he clearly states his ownership of lands at this same spot – the Ramsar area, which he willed to his sisters.
“I give my land situated at the Ramsar area at Sakumono in the Greater Accra Region and measuring 5.07 acres to my sisters Abena Saah and her children, Comfort Amoateng and her children, Abena Konadu and Juliet Akua Arko and her child on equal share basis forever,” his Will stated.
Sir John died on June 1, 2020, from COVID-19.
He was buried nearly a year after in a grand style, which was graced by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, his vice, and other prominent members of the government.
The funeral was held within a period that had many safety protocols and restrictions due to the Coronavirus in place, but all of these were blatantly breached.
