Akufo-Addo personally paying evictees around his home – Government

Government has dismissed claims that the President gave traders around his private home only a week to vacate the premises.

Traders and shop owners around the Nima residence of President Akufo-Addo who have been given until March 15 to vacate the area agitating over the compensation packages given them by the national security.

The affected traders say the package which ranges between GHC3000 and GHC10,000 is woefully in adequate and want the president to revise the amounts.

Some of the traders say they have been operating their businesses in the enclave over the last 20 years and will be stranded as they vacate the premises as being demanded by the national security.

The executive director of the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG) Dr. Emmanuel Akwetey has described the removal and compensation packages to the traders as exploitative and asked the president to intervene.

In a statement on the development, Information minister and Presidential spokesman Mustapha Hamid said the President has taken it upon himself to include people who were not originally covered by the compensation.

“ In view of the security implications of the operations of the traders, and artisans, national security proceeded to engage with them, and compensation packages of varied sums were agreed on. President Akufo-Addo has taken the view that the national purse must not be burdened on a matter such as this, and has gone on to pay these compensation from his personal resources.

“A group of artisans, describing themselves as “the junior masters”, who were not beneficiaries who were not beneficiaries of the initial compensation, in a letter to President Akufo-Addo, dated February 25,2018, appealed to the president to be included in the compensation package, a request which the President has accepted.

“It is important to note that extensive consultations were undertaken between the office of the President, national security and the traders and artisans, before implementation of this decision. It is completely false that only a week’s notice was given to the traders and artisans to move from their current location. Indeed, the leadership of the artisans and traders requested for a six week grace period from national security, beginning from the last week of January 2018 to enable them move. Clearly this request has been met”.

Below is the full statement