A scheduled meeting on Thursday between the Upper East Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) and the owners of lands that were acquired by the state at Bukere, a suburb of Bolgatanga, for the construction of a Catering Rest House during which the landowners were to receive compensation, had to be postponed because of the absence of some principal elders from the beneficiary families to witness and endorse the land acquisition documents.

A legal practitioner of the Divestiture Implementation Committee, Mr Asakkua Agambila, asked the inhabitants to follow laid down procedures regarding land acquisition so as to avert any problems in future.

He stated that under the land acquisition law one of the basic components demanded was the consent of three principal witnesses from the families concerned.

He told the people that their individual cheques were ready and urged them to ensure that they got the principal elders to endorse the documents before the weekend, so that they could receive their compensation on Tuesday, June 12.

The Deputy Regional Minister, Alhaji Awudu Yiremeah, on a word of caution admonished them to use their monies judiciously and appealed to those who had no houses and farmlands to build and buy farmlands to enable them to improve upon their livelihood.

Alhaji Yiremeah urged them not to use their monies lavishly on drinking and marrying many wives. He emphasised the need for them not to keep their monies in their homes since thieves might break into their rooms and steal them.

"You must also note that you would receive many unwanted visitors since they may be aware that you have money to entertain them", he added.

The Regional Director of the Lands Commission, Mr Sadique Nyari, also cautioned the beneficiaries to invest their monies in fruitful ventures that would benefit their entire families and not for selfish purposes.

"You would be accountable to both your present and future families and children," he indicated, and said land was a sacred resources handed over to them by their ancestors, hence care must be taken to ensure that the monies they acquired from the land were used profitable.

Source: GNA