The leadership of Ada Songor Lagoon Association has rubbishes self style autocratic ruler of Ada Paramountcy Nene Abram Kabu Akuaku III over his lies and deceit utterance he made at the courtesy call to the president of the republic of Ghana H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo that McDan is producing high quality salt with 99.9% purity which could be exported to Nigeria. This is what is called “a big fat lie”! McDan’s salt is of unacceptably poor quality and he cannot even sell in the local market for animal feed leave alone for export.
Speaking at the press conference held in Ada, the deputy secretary of ASLA, Hon Ebenezer Adjaottor, mentioned that there are unconfirmed reports that a shipload of salt he exported sometime ago was rejected by foreign buyers and and returned to Ghana for being of unacceptable quality.
Read Full Statement Below:
STATEMENT AT THE 15thJUNE,2023PRESS CONFERENCE AT
KOLUEDOR-ADA
Neneme, Naaneme,Nyemime,Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press, Observers, All Ghanaians and Adaali-abimeat home and abroad.
On behalf of the Leadership of Ada Songor Lagoon Association(ASLA); The Libi Wornor; The Terkperbiawe Clan Stool Father of Ada, The Terkperbiawe Queen Mother, The Chiefs, Elders, and the Youth of all our communities around the Songor Lagoon Basin, we wish to welcome you to this press conference to expose to you; the nation and the whole world the wrongful; retrogressive and uninformed utterances of
Nene Abram Kabu Akuaku III, the Paramount Chief of Ada and his entourage during
a recent meeting with President Akufo-Addo.
It was widely reported in the news that at the said meeting Nene Abram Kabu Akuaku III and the Ada Traditional Council members attending, requested President Akufo-Addo to send the security forces to come and drive us away from our towns and villages around the Songor Lagoon.
The Paramount Chief and the Ada Traditional Council have labeled us as “galamseyers” who need to be driven away from our own lands; from Sege Nakomkope to Elavanyo; to make way for the politically connected and known land grabber Daniel McKorley to establish his monopoly on sea salt production around the
Songor Lagoon.
We wish to convey to President Akufo-Addo that the petition we presented to him on the 4 the of May 2023 was signed by over 5000 people but only about 15 uninformed Chiefs from Ada came to speak to him.
The opinions and personal interests of these15 uninformed Chiefs cannot carry more weight than the voices of 5000 petitioners representing over 35,000 citizens around the Songor Lagoon. And therefore, it is important for the voices of the vast majority of the people to be heard rather than the moaning and whining of a few greedy chiefs who have lost touch with their own people.
Before we continue, may were quest that we once again clap for a few minutes for many of our fellow Adaali-abime from Bonikope; Toflokpo; Salom; Matsekope; Luhuor; Medie and Kablevu who since McDan started his illegitimate operations on our own lands, have been very seriously abused and severely brutalized by the State Security Agencies and McDan’s land guards.
The Song or Lagoon which our ancestors with the help of the Gas and the Ewes fought 2 wars against the Ashanti’s over and which we currently live on, and work on, for hundreds of years is now being claimed by this notorious land grabber McDan,as his own property with the connivance of some of our Chiefs and the help of Nana Akuffo-Addo’s NPP Government.
Once again let us not forget all those who were similarly brutalized previously by SC Appenteng and his agents in the 1970s.
Let us observe a minute’s silence for our Sister, Daughter; Mother and Auntie, Margaret Kuwornu whose life was cut short by a police bullet on17th May 1985 at Bornikope.
Our dear Numo Sebi Agbenyefia who died last year and was buried at Go I with a police bullet stuck in him.
Let us finally observe a minute’s silence for our late President J J Rawlings whose wisdom; love of justice; passionate belief in human values; the rights of the common man and woman and sense of fairness gave us PNDC Law 287 and the Master Plan to protect us.
As we stand here today one of our compatriots, Bro. Sampson Agbove of Salom still has several police bullets in him causing severe health problems for him all the time.
There are 50 of our fellow Adaaliabime, fellow citizens who are being persecuted and prosecuted by the authorities for just being on their own land and creating a monopoly on sea salt production for McDan alone.
May we also remember all those who suffered and passed away during the20-year reign
of terror by SC Appending.
Today, we are suffering worse brutalities and atrocities from Daniel McKorley with the connivance of our Paramount Chief, Nene Abram Kabu Akuaku III and the Traditional Council fully backed by the government in power just as it happened during the time of
Appending.
Gentlemen of the Press and fellow Adaali-Abime, you may note that at the beginning of all our press conferences, we mention the names of our compatriots who had suffered in the past in the fight for our rights. This is so that we do not forget them and for their sacrifices to inspire us to stand firm.
THANK YOU
I N T R O D U C T I O N S
We would now like to introduce to you the Chiefs and Elders who are here with us
today.
(Call the names of the Chiefs, Elders Youth, and key ASLA Representatives from the
towns)
Thank You.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press, our fellow Ghanaians and Adaali-Abime here today; we called this press conference to specifically react to utterances by the Paramount
Chief of Ada and the Traditional Councilmembers at the recent meeting with President
Nana Akufo-Addo as reported by the Daily Graphic on page 24 of the 7thJune2023
issue.
It was reported in the paper that The Paramount Chief and his entourage commended the President for his bold decision to grant a license to McDan’s Electrochemist to develop the salt industry in Ada.
Ladies and gentlemen of the press; the truth is that there is nothing commendable about the President’s decision.
The decision was in contravention of PNDC Law 287 and the tenants of the Master Plan for the Development of the Salt Industry in Ghana.
The decision is wrong, retrogressive and damaging to the progress of Ada and the nation as a whole.
The decision is thoughtless; very harmful and totally inimical to the human rights of the vast majority of fellow Ghanaian citizens living and making their livelihood from the Song or Lagoon.
The delegation asserted that since the inception of activities of the company, there has been a massive facelift and revamping to the admiration of all well-meaning
people of Ada and the country as a whole.
The Paramount Chief, we guess is referring to the façade that McDan has erected at the former Song or Salt operating area, where he does not even pay electricity bills.
They apparently do not hear about nor see with their eyes the brutalities being perpetrated by McDan’s militia and the security forces against our people. Like the proverbial ostrich, they have buried their heads deeply in the sand.
They looked the President in the eyes and lied to him that McDan is producing high quality salt with99.9% purity which could be exported to Nigeria. This is what is called “a big fat lie”!
McDan’s salt is of unacceptably poor quality and he cannot even sell in the local market for animal feed leave alone for export.
There are unconfirmed reports that a ship load of salt he exported some time ago was rejected by foreign buyers and returned to Ghana for being of unacceptable quality.
About 2 weeks ago he had no choice but to reduce his price drastically to less than half the price of that of the locals to be able to sell. This can very easily be verified by anyone who wishes to know the facts. With regard to export to Nigeria; from his own business plan, he cannot export salt to
Nigeria.
On page3 of his business plan, he stated that salt is landed in Nigeria at US$35.00 to US$55.00 per metric tone but his production cost is US$70.00 per metric tone. It is only an idiot who would produce a commodity at a cost ofUS$70.00in Ghana and ship it to a Port in Nigeria and sell at US$35.It is only McDan who think of
such a business deal.
It is a mystery as to whether anybody at all at the Minerals Commission; Ministry of Lands and Natural Resource; the Cabinet and Parliament read Electro hem’s business plan before issuing the company with the mining licenses.
It is on record that on the day on which his mining lease was approved by the cabinet, it was on that same day that it was also approved by the subcommittee of parliament and the full house of parliament. It took one day for McDan’s mining lease to move through Cabinet to final approval by the full house of Parliament.
This speaks volumes! In the Daily Graphic report, it is said that one of the benefits brought by McDan is the restoration of the dried Song or Lagoon which has created additional livelihood opportunities for fishers.
Nothing can be further from the truth!
The Song or Lagoon is always full of water during the rainy season and occasionally dries completely during the months of January; February and March, which is at the peak of the dry season. As we are standing here now if we should stretch our necks, we would see the Lagoon brimming with water from this year’s rains and yet the honorable Chiefs of Ada could tell the President that it is McDan who has fed the Lagoon with water.
Naana Adiki is also on record as saying that for the past 40 years, the Lagoon has been dry and it is only McDan who came to fill it with water. The honorable Naana seems to imply that for the past 40 years, there have not been any rains in Ada. May our Ancestors and the Deities of Ada bless her.
Source: Joseph Nana Yaw Cobbina| Contributor
