The allodia landowners of Songor Lagoon have declared their support for Electrochem Company limited to go ahead with their mining activities at the Songor Lagoon.
“Before Electeochem Company Limited came, they consulted first the Takpebiawe clan, the allodial owners of the songor lagoon, we all agreed because they came to develop and provide jobs for our youths, we agreed because we don’t want any social vices in Ada, a hungry man is an angry man, so if jobs are created, how do anyone go into any arm robbery, so we the Takpebiawe clan agreed,” Clan secretary, Nomo Agbakla.
Nomo Agbakla argued that since Ada is predominantly farming and fishing community, the youths usually become jobless during the dry season and that the activities of Electrochem Company limited will provide jobs for the youths all season round.
The Secretary of the Takpebiawe clan, Nomo Theophilus Agbakla in an interview with New Crusading Guide explained that “the Takpebiawe clan is among the four main clans of Ada who are the allodia land owners of the Songor Lagoon.”
He continued that Electrochem Company Limited have acquired a three lease agreement between the government to engage in salt farming and related activities for 15 years in the Songor Lagoon with support from all stakeholders following numerous consultation with the chiefs and people of Ada.
“Some people from the Takpebiawe clan who claim they are the owners of the land are saying no to Electrochem company limited, they can’t be the owners of the land because all four clans were duly consulted,” Nomo Agbakla said.
He further revealed that the Takpebiawe clan has three different sections with thirteen gates, ninety-three families “so if we have thirteen gates and only one gate, not even all of them, a fraction of them are claiming they were not consulted, then I don’t see what they are about.”
Giving a brief background of previous chaos that characterized salt mining activities around the Songor Lagoon in the 1980’s, Mr Agbakla, the secretary of the Takpebiawe clan, the allodial owners of the lagoon said “the government have acquired the songor lagoon in trust of the people of Ada, and therefore any aggrieved person must go to court to seek redress.”
Responding to media reports that the chiefs and people of Ada are appealing to the government to cancel the lease of Electrochem Company limited from mining in the Songor Lagoon, Nomo Agbakla said “Nomo Afedo Ayunor can go to court, he has no position in the Takpebiawe clan, he was suspended for similar misconduct some years back.”
Nomo Agbakla explained that Libi is an office occupied by somebody from the Takpebiawe clan, so it means that the divisional chief can appoint anybody to occupy that office thus is not a personal office for anybody.
He explained that Nomo Afedo Ayunor is not the legitimate priest and that he is not bigger than the whole of Ada state.
He also revealed that Nomo Afedo Ayunor has sold part of the concession already and that he himself does not understand the master plan he was talking about.
The land owners are calling on the police IGP to order the police at Ada not to grant the intended demonstration by a fraction of a family against the salt mining project at Songor.
The land owners have argued that due to the surge in the covid-19 cases in the country, the police should not grant the demonstration since it breaches the covid-19 protocols.
