The Municipal Coordinating Director of the Ga East Municipal Assembly (GEMA) acting on behalf of his Municipal Chief Executive Madam Elizabeth Kaakie Mann has reacted to a publication carried on our front-page (The New Crusading GUIDE) last Friday 19th January 2024.
The New Crusading Guide had carried a detailed report on a demolition of a businessman’s property sanctioned by the MCE of GEMA but the latter have had course to rebut.
Below is the full text of the essence of the MCE’s reservations on the subject above;
”We write to dismiss the purported claim in its entirety regarding the alleged demolition of a property belonging to an unnamed businessman and the related issues stated in the said publication.
A brief background of the issue at hand would help in providing an insight into the alleged claim and ascertain the veracity or otherwise of the said allegation.
- The land on which the property in contention is at Haatso which was leased to the Ga East Municipal Assembly by the Nii Armah Sogblah family. The Ga East Assembly in turn subleased it to the said business manwith a company named Agyakot for commercial purposes.
- The lease agreement between the land owners, Nii Armah Sogbla IV(Haatso Mantse) and the GEMA was on the following purpose
- a) To use the land for commercial purpose only
- b) To construct a market complex and allocate same in accordance with the terms of the lease
- Some of the terms of the agreement were stipulated as follows:
- The sub-lessee (Agyakot Company) shall use the land for commercial purpose only and shall complete a modern market complex with shop lorry station and public place of convenience under arrangement of Build- Operate –Transfer (BOT) provided the interest in the lorry station shall immediately after completion be transferred exclusively to the sub-lessor.
- To use the land for the construction of commercial property only and within (12) months of execution of this instrument to commence such construction, and complete same within twenty-four (24) months thereafter.
- To permit the Sublessor (GEMA) and its agents at reasonable times to enter upon the leased land for the purpose of inspecting the state or condition of the land.
- The contract was entered into with the Businessman / Contractor in 2019 for the construction of shops and lorry station. The Assembly removed unauthorized structures to prepare the site for the Businessman / Contractor to commence work. This was done on 5th and 6th March 2021.
- The Site was handed over to the Businessman / Contractor on 19th March 2021 for site survey works and geotechnical studies but he failed to perform such activities.
- Since the handing over of the land to the Businessman / Contractor in 2021 up to 2023, no progress had been made with regards to the execution of the contract.
- The Assembly had written several letters to the Businessman / Contractor with no favorable response and was left with no option but to write Businessman / Contractor to terminate the contract on 2nd October, 2023, since no progress was made and the Land Owners were pressurizing the Assembly for the Land to be put to the purpose for which it was leased to the Assembly.
- The alleged demolition of a fence wall is untrue. What was done was a removal of a hoarding the Businessman had put at the site using aluminum sheets and not a block fence wall. The removal was done to pave way for road construction currently being carried out on the Haatso road after which the space left would be used for the operation of a lorry station.
- Prior to this (item No.8), the Businessman /Contractor was issued with a final warning notice on 13th June 2023 to demolish the hoarding which he failed to do.
These are the facts of the matter and we therefore urge you to publish same in your newspaper in the manner in which you published the allegation.
We appreciate your working relationship with us and your contribution to the development of journalism and media in Ghana over the years.