In the wake of the current controversy surrounding the Achimota Forest Reserve, OccupyGhana is demanding an immediate full public inquiry into the matter of the forest which has gained national attention.
The Civil Society Organization (CSO) made this call in a letter dated May 23, 2023 addressed to the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor.
Among a number of demands made by the pressure group, OccupyGhana is again calling for the reversal of the Executive Instrument (EI) 144 which declassified portions of the forest reserve.
“We write to demand that you revoke or suspend the operation of the Forests (Cessation of Forest Reserve) Instrument, 2022 (EI 144) and the Forests (Achimota Firewood Plantation Forest Reserve) (Amendment) Instrument, 2022 (EI 154) forthwith,” portions of the letter sighted by ABC News read.
Justifying the need for a full public inquiry into the issues surrounding the forest, OccupyGhana explained that an inquiry will provide the state an opportunity to right the wrongs of individuals and bodies that have benefitted from the lands in the forest through ill means.
“Instead, we demand a full public inquiry under Chapter 23 of the Constitution into the matter of the Achimota Forest Reserve. The purpose of the inquiries would be to reverse any illegal acts perpetrated, and improper gains made, by government officials under the guise of returning lands,” the CSO explained.
According to the pressure group, “we have had further cause to believe that this state of affairs is worse and much wider than is apparent. We are also concerned that there might have been serious instances of conflict of interest and conflict of duty involving government officials and other government actors, concerning those lands.”
Read the letter of OccupyGhana addressed to the Lands and Natural Resources Minister below:
