Recuse yourself from the Parliamentary Committee to salvage your dwindling image ASLA takes on Atta Akyea

The Ada Songor Lagoon Association(ASLA) is expressing disappointment at the comment by Samuel Atta Akyea, Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Mines and Energy.

According to ASLA, the chairman's unguided statement symbolizes the committee's stance on the unfortunate killing of an innocent Ada resident. 

The Ada Songor Lagoon Association(ASLA), Dangbe East Salt Producers of Association, DESPA, the Libi Wornor, the Terkperbiawe Clan Stool Father, Nomo Tetteh Ableedu, the Asafoatse-ngua, Glorgo Dadebom Anim V of Terkperbiawe Clan and all allied groupings and individuals believe that Atta Kyea's position depicts the stand held by the  committee, a situation they described as unacceptable.

They further believe that Atta Akyea and the committee made up of members of the ruling NPP, and some myopic members of the minority in parliament who they believe are self-seeking have not done a good job.

The members committee particularly those of the minority, ASLA disclosed lack the tenets of probity, transparency, accountability, and rule of law, have join their colleagues to do a pre- meditated work laced with intent to create instability within Ada.

This, it explained, indicates that the Committee has shown abject disregard for the numerous issues of human rights abuses masterminded by McDan's ElectroChem taskforce, the Military, Interior Ministry, and police service.

The matters of human right abuses which were reported to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) but is yet to indicate receipt nor measures to mitigate the sad happenings within the area. 

"It is so sad that the Atta Akyea led Committee fragrantly and deliberately ignored PNDC Law 287 which specifically deals with Songor Lagoon, and stating unequivocally clearly that, "The Songor Lagoon and the lands are being held in trust for the owners", ASLA said. 

"It must be on record that the government at no time acquire the Songor Lagoon and its adjoining lands compulsorily, but rather holding in trust for the rightful owners; the Terkperbiawe Clan", it clarified.

Given that the legitimate owners of the land are also involved in sea salt farming in addition to their seasonal crop and animal production just to offer a sustainable livelihood, it would have been sensible for the "regime" to factor in the indigenous people.

The Parliamentary Select Committee, which is supposed to be a hub of records keeping and documentation, deliberately decided to shelf the most important law whose preamble prescribes the Master Plan for Salt Development in Ghana, and rather skewly decided  to engage the following laws in isolation knowing very well that the issue can never be addressed without the PNDC Law that settles the discrepancies.

Laws rather  engaged by the government in isolation include 1. the 1992 Constitution,2. the Standing Orders of Parliament,3.the Minerals and Mining Act,2006(Act 703),4.the Environmental Protection Act,1994 (Act 490), and 5.Water Resources Commission Act,1996(Act 522).

The rest are (6). Minerals Income Investment Fund Act,2018(Act 978, 7.Minerals and Mining (Health, Safety and Technical) Regulations,2012(L.I.2182) 8. Minerals and Mining General Regulations(2012), L.I.2173 8. Environmental Assessment Regulations,1999(L.I. 1652 and 9. the Supreme Court Ruling on the Republic versus High Court, Accra:Ex Parte Attorney General (Exton Cubic Group Ltd, Interested Party(2019) unreported Civil Motion Number JS/40/2018".

The group sees that singular action as corroborating human rights abuses, and indicated that,  the move might not augur well for Ghana. The group is calling on all stakeholders of the human rights fight and peace to rise to the occasion and condemn the government's move, particularly as the election of 2024 approaches. 

BACKGROUND It is on record that, the Ada Traditional Council and the Ada Paramount Chief signed a memorandum of understanding with ElectroChem Ghana Limited owned by Daniel McCauley agreeing to grant a portion of the Songor Lagoon Basin called the "Songor Salt Project Area" alone.

Substantiating the earlier MoU, a memo from the president's office dated 19 August 2020 also indicated that the Songor Salt Project was the area given on concession to ElectroChem Ghana Limited.

The Songor Salt Project is an area named  Area Number 5 on the Master Plan for Salt Development in Ghana and is different from the Songor Lagoon proper.

Another memo from SIGA dated 8 February 2021 also indicated clearly that it is the Songor Salt Project which was given on concession to ElectroChem and not the whole area of 41,000 acres of land. 

In September 2020, one of the ASLA members chanced upon a notice posted at Ada West District Assembly notifying the public about some mining leases granted to ElectroChem Ghana Limited.

It is sad to note that the Akufo Addo-led government has no respect for the people living in that part of the country.

Over 42 towns and settlements around the Songor Lagoon Basin had been informed that the whole of the Songor Lagoon Basin comprising Torwu Lagoon, Troku Lagoon, and their adjoining lands measuring over 41,000 acres(158.4sq.km) were going to be leased by the Akufo Addo NPP government to ElectroChem Ghana Limited owned by Daniel McCauley for sea salt farming leaving the fate of over 90,000 people whose livelihood depend on the Lagoon in a limbo.

This is the behavior of a person who claimed to be a human rights advocate! The truth is that for more than 400 years, ancestors of Ada have settled around Songor Lagoon farming and winning sea salt, farming crops, and fishing, and knowing no other place apart from their settlement.

It must be on record that solar sea salt is not a precious mineral therefore not mined like gold and diamond from the belly of the earth.

It is rather farmed and harvested on the surface of the earth anywhere there is land, seawater, and sunshine under the right climatic conditions.

In Ada, the indigenes are self-employed; as they engage in solar sea salt farming, crop farming, and fishing.

It is clear that the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that Ghana has subscribed to, is not well understood by Akufo Addo and his cronies in government.

Can the people living on the land of Akufo Addo's homeland and whose livelihoods solely depend on the land be driven out or prevented from making a livelihood on the land? The wicked idea of making sea salt production a monopoly by one person, will not hold today, tomorrow, and forever.

All well-meaning persons should note that the socio-economic, and political ramifications to the nation will be dire should the move be allowed to go through, and that can have a devastating effect on the world's peace and stability.