The announcement by the Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Samuel Atta-Akyea, about government’s decision to transform Nima – which is considered as a slum- into world-class communities with executive amenities, has not gone down well with some of the residents of the area area.
Assembly member for Nima West electoral area, Umar Sanda Mohammed, speaking on Happy FM’s ‘Epa Hoa Daben’ said they will resist any attempt by government to dislodge them.
According to him, if government wants to embark on such an initiative, the residents as the major stakeholders must first be consulted.
“Government must consult we the people of Nima first before coming out to make this announcement. There hasn’t been any consultation or whatsoever,” Mohammed said.
He added that the people of Nima are not against development but government must come clear on its decisions.
“We are ready for development but government must do what is necessary. We must consulted first or else we will resist any attempt by government to dislodge us,” he said.
Samuel Atta-Akyea addressing the media on Tuesday said the redvelopment project will be expanded to cover Maamobi and will provide the areas with modern housing facilities far better than Villagio in Accra.
He said no resident will be dislodged.
“We are aware that the people of Nima have their own homes. We are not going to dislodge them. We are going to build executive flats and housing arrangement for them and they will move in free of charge. This is to create a better environment for them so that the land space where they are, will be released to the developer. The developer can decide that this space that he has will be more glamorous than Villagio, which will compensate them for the properties that they have released for them.”
“The residents can now sell their Villagio structures to cancel out the cost. This is what we are trying to do. But they will live in the modern structures free of charge. They will own it because we took the slum and we used the land for benefit. So they will have it for free . That is how to go,” he noted.
By: Joseph Nii Ankrah
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