The people of Wuruwuru in the Sefwi Akontombra district of the Western North Region have given a two-week ultimatum to embark on a demonstration against government over the neglect of developmental projects in the area.
According to them, even though they are surrounded by a large forest reserve that contributes largely to the country’s GDP through timber production, no attention has been given to infrastructural development in the area.
They bemoan that nearby communities cannot boast of any corporate social responsibility projects by the lumbering company, LLL which according to them has been in operation on Sefwi land for over 15 years.
They want government to compel LLL to fulfil their CSOs such as the provision of schools, hospitals, boreholes, and scholarship schemes for brilliant but needy students amongst others to benefit residents of communities within their catchment areas.
The convener of the youth group in Wuruwuru, Clement Kofi Amoako is beseeching government to order LLL company to either establish a wood processing factory in the area where the youth can gain employment opportunities or allow the local sawmill firms to also access the forest for their operations.
“We want LLL to allow the local sawmill firms, where some of our relatives work, to also access the forest in order to sustain production because we have no idea where the factory of LLL is even located. We are emphasising that stakeholders should ensure that LLL establishes a wood processing factory here where we can buy wood from and also get our youth employed there as with Shuma company in Dwinase where the youth in surrounding communities like Amafie, Anwiam and Bosomoiso have been employed.”
“Should government and Nananom fail to act on this, we the youth know what to do but will rather be unlawful as LLL has taken us for granted for long,” Kofi Amoako added.
In Furtherance to that, Mr. Amoako said the youth of Wuruwuru had to trek the forest in search of a lost worker of LLL and Nananom had to perform rituals before the body of a deceased worker could be conveyed home from the forest yet the destination of the timber they produce remains unknown.
The Twafohene of the Sefwi Wiawso Traditional Area, Chief of Sefwi Amafie and Overlord of Wuruwuru, Nana Yaw Badu II has given two weeks ultimatum to embark on a demonstration against government if their concerns fail to be addressed with immediate effect.
“We are very much concerned about this issue as a people and if government officials fail to act on it, we shall embark on a demonstration against the government”.
“If we were greedy chiefs we could have carried out illegal mining in the forest for our personal gains, but this forest remains the only one not affected by galamsey activities, yet we don’t benefit from anything,” Nana Yaw Badu II added.
He gave two weeks ultimatum where the people will advise themselves if nothing is done about it.
Nii Ofori Tackie a resident of Sefwi Wuruwuru in an interview with Citi News complained, “Unlike communities in mining areas, our school building is in a very horrible state, and we are also not allowed to enter the forest with chainsaw to earn a living, so we’re really suffering”.
Atta Paul also said, “LLL has failed to employ the youth here even though some are graduates with employable skills such as driving and chainsaw operation, but they rather bring all workers from elsewhere”.
The post Wuruwuru residents threaten demo over lack of projects appeared first on Citinewsroom - Comprehensive News in Ghana.
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