La-Nkwantanang Madina Assembly encroaches on school land
The LA-Nkwantanang Madina Municipal Assembly in the Greater Accra Region has allegedly encroached on a parcel of land on the premises of the National Vocational Institute at Madina Social Welfare.
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The land, reserved for the construction of dormitories of the school, is currently being used by the assembly to put up an office complex, in spite of a series of appeals against it.
Investigations conducted by the Daily Graphic, following concerns raised by the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) of the school, indicated that the assembly had defied all protests to discontinue the work.
A visit to the school recently showed that construction work had actually begun. Dug-out trenches with erected iron rods and other construction materials, as well as a concrete mixture machine were seen on the land.
Reaction
When contacted, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Franklin Anku, admitted the assembly’s presence on the land in question and explained that the Legislative Instrument (LI) that created the assembly authorised it to operate in an office within the municipal capital, which is Madina.
He, however, said a committee had been set up by the ministry to investigate the matter, and added that the continuation of the project would depend on the outcome of the committee’s report.
Explaining further, Mr Anku said a committee was constituted by the assembly to identify an open place to be acquired by the assembly for the project.
“Unfortunately, the committee was unable to site any land devoid of litigation at Madina, and the last option was the open space at the school,” he said.
Mr Anku told the Daily Graphic that the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development had invited the Department of Community Development and the assembly to discuss the issue.
“Since the issue is before the ministry, let’s wait for the outcome,” he added.
Formal complaint
The Daily Graphic learnt that even though a formal complaint had been made against the assembly and the MCE to the Divisional Commander of Police, Madina by the Department of Community Development, a favourable response was yet to be received.
The Department of Community Development in the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development controls the activities of the National Vocational Institute at Madina.
Information gathered indicated that Mr Anku had earlier proposed to the ministry to develop a portion of the school land for the assembly’s office complex in a letter.
The Ministry, the Daily Graphic learnt, objected to the proposal, and cautioned him to stay away from that land. Instead, the ministry provided GH¢91,000 to complete the fencing of the school land, which had been done.
Purpose of the land
According to the school authorities, the land in question had been reserved for the construction of a boys’ dormitory and an entrepreneurial centre with funding from the African Development Bank.
Already, an expert in entrepreneurial development has been recruited to assist in the design and implementation of the programme at the institute.
The Council of Technical and Vocational Education Training (COTVET) has also provided the institute with training equipment in support of the entrepreneurial programme.
