Member of Parliament for Gomoa East Constituency in the Central Region, Desmond De-graft Paitoo, is pleading with government to reconsider demolishing the entire Buduburam Refugee Camp as announced earlier.
According to the legislature, some Ghanaians own houses and other properties within the 141 acre land should not bear the brunt of government’s decision to sanitize the area.
Angel TV’s Opanyin Darko reported that some Ghanaians are in a state of suspense as to whether their documented properties will be spared or not hence, the call of the parliamentarian.
The Gomoa East MP, while on an inspection tour of the refugee camp, told journalists that, “we have spoken to all concerned authorities that some Ghanaians staying within Zone 8, 9 and 10 respectively have bought lands and are thus staying there”.
“So I am appealing to the chiefs to convene a meeting and call the leadership together to cross check if the documents of the people are valid so that their houses are excluded from the demolition”.
Albeit having some reservations Mr. Paitoo threw his weight behind the eviction and demolition exercise.
He observed that some of the refugees were assisted financially with about GHS400 to relocate in 2010, while the United Nations also helped those willing to go back home to return to Liberia.
“For the demolition, I give it a 35% vote of YES and a 65% vote of NO…my reason is that before the UN withdrew from the Liberian refugees’ issue in 2010, the decision was to send them back to Liberia. Those who wanted to go were sent but the rest were left to their fate with some compensation. Some of them, aged between 20 and 35, are now claiming Ghanaian citizenship because they were born here…”
On the issue of compensation, he noted that government is not obliged to give anyone compensation nonetheless, government can choose to do so willingly.
