Residents of Ada have cautioned Dr Yao Graham of Third World Network (TWN) to desist from capitalizing on the ignorance of the people and playing on their vulnerability to his advantage.
The said they have listened and watched his activities with the ‘third world network’, and how he made the people believe he was their saviour.
The people also indicated that his attacks on the investiture of the Songor lagoon over the years, are clear indication of his intention to keep the people in perpetual poverty.
According to them, what is happening in the Songor Lagoon is a revolution that will transform the whole of Ada and Ghana as a country.
The transformation, they said, “is mind-blowing, and instead of synergizing our energies to promote the gains the likes of you are always finding ways to draw Ada back to the dark days of anti-development. That is what you turn around to refer to as ‘deprivation of livelihood’.”
Below is an article written by an Ada citizen to that effect
Enough Of Your Cacophony: Dr Yao Graham
Over the past many years, you have taken undue advantage of the ignorance of the people of Ada and have played on their vulnerability to your advantage. We have listened and watched your activities with your ‘third world network’, and how you made the people believe you were their saviour.
Your third world network was with the likes of Radio Ada fighting for investiture in the Songor lagoon telling the whole world how the practices at the time were destroying the lagoon.
This is the genesis of ‘yikatseme’ in Ada whose primary agenda was to rise against the ‘atsiakpo’ system being operated by a few advantaged people to the detriment of the larger population. ‘The ‘atsiakpo’ is the creation of miniature pans in and around the Lagoon’ for salt production, a system which has destroyed the natural salt base of the Lagoon. Because the salt base is destroyed these operators have resorted to laying trampoline in the lagoon to hasten the salt formation process making the final salt dangerous for human consumption. Also, they dig wells in the Lagoon to get water for their illicit activities which is a death trap for anyone working in and around the Lagoon.
Your actions were even compounded when you organized a press conference at the Accra Press Center declaring insecurity in Ada without the knowledge of DISEC, both Ada East and West and the Traditional Council, and other leaders of the land. Only for the ‘Astiakpo’ operators to return from that press conference and went straight to the company’s concession to attack their fellow Adali and burnt down the company’s site offices.
Successive governments have failed to implement what you called the ‘master plan’ but did you care to interrogate why, if that plan was the saviour for the people of Ada? Today, your actions and inactions have brought a new wave of indiscipline on the land of Ada where subjects do not have respect for their elders. People go and sit on radio Ada and insult the highest authority of the Ada land with impunity drawing energy from your disposition. The violence you spoke about in Ada emanated from your show of blatant disrespect to the traditional leaders including the paramountcy when you told the people that the traditional authority does not have any power to invite or punish their excesses.
What is happening in the Songor Lagoon as we speak is a revolution that will transform the whole of Ada and Ghana as a country. In less than two years of the takeover by Electrochem Ghana Limited, a lot has gone into the level of development that has taken place including bringing back the natural state of the Lagoon. Constant sea water in the lagoon, something which was not the case in the last 40 years. The transformation is mind-blowing, and instead of synergizing our energies to promote the gains the likes of you are always finding ways to draw Ada back to the dark days of anti-development. That is what you turn around to refer to as ‘deprivation of livelihood’.
Who would have thought that in two years a company which is still operating at a developing stage would give out GHc3m to the women of Ada at a time the whole country is going through economic turmoil? Do you how much this meant to the women in terms of bringing life into their businesses?
Are you also aware that unlike previous establishments which failed to consider the local people in the development process hence the conflicts you mention at the time, Electrochem GH Ltd for the first time has considered and prioritized the various communities by creating a sustainable community pan system for every community within its operational area? These community pans will be fed with constant brine to ensure continuous mining and provide the basis for community development since the people as well as the communities will be direct beneficiaries of the proceeds from the pans.
Communities such as Nakomkope, Agbedrafor, and Adjumanikope have mined four times already from their community pans causing the others communities to push for their pans to be constructed for them. This will break the former system where a few privileged ones continue to exploit the larger population for their gain.
The question that hovers in the mind of everyone is how can these achievements within this short time be described as an economic disaster?
Every businessman or investor will think first of profit before any social responsibility but the situation at Electrochem is the other way around. It’s people first. The community water project, educational support scheme, sports development, and above all opening up Ada for greater investment cannot be termed an economic disaster. That is why the question keeps repeating itself, which aspect of these can be termed an economic disaster?
On the political front, we can understand your position since this project is a slap in the face of one political party that had all the opportunity but failed to utilize it in developing the Lagoon to better the lives of the people of Ada. One other political party saw the suffering of the people, especially the women whom you have taken advantage of, and decided to intervene, so definitely it will be a disaster for that party who failed to look at the plight of the people even with when it is their stronghold.
Finally, the following questions beg answers from you: What has been your contribution to Ada’s development over the last two decades you have been with the people? What impact have you made to change just ‘a life’ in Ada if not for these acts of wizardry which have people like Noah Dameh the impetus to misbehave?
Enough of your cacophony, bring your alternatives and let us put it to a test against what is currently happening in the Songor Lagoon. Until then stop your unnecessary interference and allow the company to operate in peace.
LEAVE ADA TO DEVELOP DR. YAO GRAHAM
ENOUGH OF YOUR GIMMICKS DR. YAO GRAHAM
ADA WILL DEVELOP…