Whoever said the government is selling Achimota Forest isn’t wrong – Alhassan Suhuyini
With the furore regarding the current status of Achimota Forest still rife, legislator for Tamale North, Alhassan Suhuyini is of the view that the decision to remove the reserved status from parts of the Achimota forest is the indirect sale of the land.
Mr Suhuyini argued that he did not think the family the land was being returned to will maintain the forest cover.
“The family will not keep it as a forest reserve, will they? They will sell it. So whoever put it out there that the government was selling the Achimota forest, to a very large extent, got it right.”
Mr Suhuyini also said the Executive Instrument, E.I. 144, declassifying portions of the Achimota forest as a reserve, was a red flag in itself.
“If the government had not issued the E.I. declassifying that area, one would have been forgiven to still think that whatever development will take place, they will still be in consultation with the Forestry Commission and will be ecologically friendly to whatever will remain of the forest.”
The E.I. is about 361 acres of Achimota forest that the government is returning to its custodial owners, the Owoo family.
Mr Suhuyini also believes that the government’s assurance that there is an accompanying E.I.154, which says the area of the forest returned shall remain a forest reserve, among other safeguards, are just vague assurances.
“How many people in this city have built without a building permit? How many communities have sprung up without any plan?”
“How many people in this city have built without a building permit? How many communities have sprung up without any plan?”
“Over the years, we do know that we don’t follow these things, but what we know has served us well is that when an area is declared a forest reserve, certain developments don’t take place there,” he said.
