The Dormaahene, Osagyefo Oseadeyo Agyemang Badu II, has called on the Deputy Lands Minister, Benito Owusu Bio, to initiate an upward adjustment of the lands rate being collected.
According to him, the royalties being presented to the Nananom are measly sums and are barely enough to support them as they go through the current economic hardship. With this, he questioned how the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources will soon adjust the rate applicable to what Nananom will receive.
The Dormaahene noted that his registrar told him about a certain amount that he has received, of which he was disappointed.
“I look at the amount, and I was like are you sure registrar? So, he posted the thing on my WhatsApp, and I looked at the thing and was just smiling. So, we appeal to the Deputy Minister for Lands, with respect, I think that there’s a need to adjust the rate. Nananom are here, we want to hear whether it has been adjusted or not. Because we cannot on our own adjust it so that whatever we will receive from the administrator of stool lands will withstand the current economic difficulties we are in”.
Osagyefo Oseadeyo Agyemang Badu II
Meanwhile, some members of the National House of Chiefs have expressed the need for the amendment of the Stool Lands Act, 481 of 1994.
They revealed that while they have previously attempted to have the law revised, their demands have gone unheeded by successive governments.
Revision of Stool land Act
The Paramount Chief of Asante Mampong, Dasebre Osei Bonsu, stated that during President Mills’ tenure, government undertook a major assignment of instituting a commission tour of the whole of Ghana to accept and deliberate on proposals for amendment of the constitution.
“We sat down and wrote detailed memoranda and raised some major highlights and recommendations for the attention of Prof. Mills and his cabinet that Article 267 was not one of the entrenched clauses and so needed to be issued a white paper for parliamentary action”.
Dasebre Osei Bonsu
He further noted that the chiefs also proposed that from practice, 55% out of the remainder of the 90% for the Assembly should be reduced and then “added up to the 25% to the chiefs at the paramountcy for maintenance of their status”.
The paramount chief of Asante Mampong explained that he followed up on the proposal that was submitted to Prof. Mills and the President jettisoned it out.
The Act, which mandates the Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands (OASL) to mobilize and disburse revenue from stool lands, has been described as unjust and averse to the tenets of transparency and accountability.
Commenting on this, the Okyenhene highlighted that outsourcing the collection of rent to the Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands is counterproductive and must be revised.
“I can’t believe that monies that are collected on our behalf on rent can be kept at the Ministry for about two years. It comes back to us with no interests or documents. And you can’t even go and check your records and see the amount I get for a year for me to get 20%.”
Okyenhene
The Okyenhene revealed that the Nananom, will have to form a committee to challenge the law due to its unfairness. He indicated that Dr Kwame Nkrumah made the law to take away their financial backbone from them and that is a shame.
On his part, Deputy Lands Minister, Benito Owusu Bio, stated that the new Act would help resolve issues related with multiple sales of lands, the proliferation of land guards among others.
“To resolve these challenges, the land act aims at revising, harmonizing and consolidating the laws on lands and to ensure sustainable lands administration and management, effective and efficient land tenure and to provide for related matters.”
Benito Owusu Bio
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