Owners of the land hosting the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) in Ho in the Volta Region, have issued a ten-day ultimatum to the government to pay them their compensation or face their wrath.
The landowners claim that, the current administration has failed to pay them even though the previous National Democratic Congress (NDC) government did set aside money for the said payment.
According to the group, several talks with the government to have the money paid into their accounts have not yielded any positive results.
In a Citi News interview, the Consultant for the land owners, William Dafeamekpor, threatened to seek a court order to place an injunction on the university if the money is not paid in ten days.
“We are asking government to immediately pay or we will go back to court to secure an injunction on the university. In total, government is paying GH29.3 million for the whole 702 acres of land. The previous government set aside GHc29.3 million for the payment which was confirmed by the solicitor general at the Attorney General’s department in Accra, before NDC lost power. Why the delay now? That is all we are asking. So we are going to file a process to put an injunction on the university and no student will be allowed to school there until the money is paid to the last pesewa.”
Government, through an Executive Instrument (EI), compulsorily acquired the lands for the first public university in the Volta Region, which was established by an Act of Parliament in 2011.
Although construction of structures at the permanent site has been completed, the land owners are yet to be compensated. Following various failed attempts to get government to keep to its part of the agreement, the land owners resorted to a court action in 2016.
A Ho High Court, which heard the case, subsequently advised the Attorney General to consider meeting the land owners to find an amicable solution to the needless litigation.
But the Chairman of the Association, Benoni Glalah, earlier lamented that, the arbitration at the Attorney General’s Department has delayed unduly.
Join GhanaStar.com to receive daily email alerts of breaking news in Ghana. GhanaStar.com is your source for all Ghana News. Get the latest Ghana news, breaking news, sports, politics, entertainment and more about Ghana, Africa and beyond.
(Via: CitiFM Online Ghana)
