By Joseph Nana Yaw Cobbina
The leadership of Ada Songor Lagoon Association has rubbishes self style autocratic ruler of Ada Paramouncy 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 Akuffo 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 andthe 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 Akuffo 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 Akuffo
Addo to send the security forcesto 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 andknown land grabber Daniel McKorley to establish his monopoly on sea salt production around the
Songor Lagoon.
We wish to convey to President Akuffo Addo that the petition we presented to him on
the 4
th 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-abimefrom 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’sland guards.
The Songor Lagoon which our ancestors with the
help of the Gas and the Ewes fought 2 wars against the Ashantis 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.
(A MINUTE OF CLAPPING ……………………………………………)
Once again let us not forget all those who were similarly brutalized previously by S C
Appenteng and his agentsin the 1970s.
(ANOTHER MINUTE OF CLAPPING……………………………………..…)
Let us observe a minute’s silence for our Sister, Daughter; Mother and Auntie,Margaret
Kuwornu whose life was cut shortby a police bullet on17th May 1985 at Bornikope.
Our dear Numo Sebi Agbenyefia who died last year and was buried at Goi with a police
bullet stuck in him.
Let us finally observe a minute’ssilence forour 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 Planto
protect us.
As we standhere today one of our compatriots,Bro. Sampson Agbove ofSalomstill
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 S C Appenteng.
Today,we are sufferingworse 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
Appenteng.
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
Wewouldnowlike to introduceto you the Chiefs and Elderswho are here with us
today.
(Call the names of the Chiefs, Elders Youth,and key ASLA Representativesfrom the
towns)
Thank You.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press, our fellow Ghanaiansand Adaali-Abime here today;
we called this press conference to specifically react toutterances by the Paramount
Chief of Ada and the Traditional Councilmembers at the recent meeting with President
Nana Akuffo Addo as reported by the Daily Graphicon 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 ElectroChemto
develop the salt industry in Ada.
Ladies and gentlemen of the press; the truth is that there is nothing commendable about
the President’sdecision.
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, retrogressiveand 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 citizensliving andmaking their livelihood from the
Songor Lagoon.
The delegation asserted that since the inception of activities of the company,there
has been a massive facelift and revamping to the admirationof all well-meaning
people of Ada and the country asa whole.
The Paramount Chief,we guess is referring to the façade thatMcDan has erected at the
former Songor Salt operating area, where hedoes not even pay electricity bills.
They apparently do not hearaboutnor seewith their eyesthe brutalities being perpetrated by
McDan’s militia and the securityforces against our people. Like the proverbial ostrich,
they have buried their headsdeeplyin the sand.
They looked the Presidentin the eyes and lied to himthat 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 unacceptablypoorquality and he cannotevensell in the local market
for animal feedleave alone for export.
There are unconfirmed reports that ashipload
of salthe exported some timeago wasrejected by foreignbuyers andreturnedto Ghana
for being of unacceptablequality.
About 2 weeks ago he hadno choice butto reduce his price drasticallyto less than half
the price of that of the localsto 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 exportsalt 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 tonnebut his production cost is US$70.00 per metric
tonne.It is only an idiot who would producea commodityat a cost ofUS$70.00in
Ghana and shipitto a Port in Nigeria and sellat US$35.It is only McDan who think of
such a business deal.
It is a mysteryto usas to whether anybody atall atthe Minerals Commission;Ministry
of Lands and Natural Resource;the Cabinet and Parliament read ElectroChem’s
business planbefore 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 wason that same day that it wasalso 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 Graphicreport,it is said that one of thebenefits brought by McDan is
the restoration of the dried Songor Lagoon which has created additional livelihood
opportunities for fishers.
Nothing can be further from the truth!
The Songor Lagoon is always full of water during
the rainyseason and occasionallydries completely during the months of January;
February and March,whichisat the peak of the dry season. As we arestanding here
now if we should stretchour necks,we would see the Lagoon brimming with water
from this year’srains and yet the honorableChiefs 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 honorableNaana seems to
imply that for the past 40 years,there havenot been any rains in Ada.Mayour Ancestors
andthe Deities of Ada bless her.
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