General News of Saturday, 10 March 2018
Source: 3news.com
2018-03-10
The road in front of Akufo-Addo’s house has been taken over by Police
Traders and artisans being evicted from around the private residence of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo are demanding sufficient compensation to help them re-establish themselves at a new location.
National Security officials have given them up to March 15 to vacate the area which has been declared a security zone following the election of Nana Akufo-Addo as the President of Ghana in December 2017.
In line with that, the affected traders and artisans have begun receiving cash compensation of between GHC3,000 and GHC6,000, but they told Onua FM Friday that the amount is not enough.
Some of them alleged government officials assigned to disburse the compensation are underpaying them, claiming they believe President Akufo-Addo earmarked huge sums of money for the compensation.
“We believe the President earmarked huge sums of money to be given to us as our compensation but the only peanut has been given to us which is not enough re-establish us,” one of the affected traders told Onua FM on condition of anonymity.
Some of the traders who shed tears while speaking to Onua News on Friday said they understand they are to vacate the place because it is a security zone but they are not satisfied with the meager compensation being given to them.
They have explained that the government officials who took the compensations on their behalf only gave them between three thousand GHC3,000 to GHC6,000 which cannot help to re-establish themselves at a new place.
Some of the traders say they have lived and plied their trade there for close to twenty years and believe they deserve better treatment from the President than what is being handed them.
They have therefore called on President Akufo-Addo to immediately cause investigations into the issue to avoid misunderstanding and other intended actions from them.