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Land owners scramble for Ho University lands

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Some land owners at Sokode Lokoe in the Ho Municipality of the Volta Region have warned they will resist attempt by the government to take over their land illegally for the construction of the University of Health and Allied Sciences in Ho. As part of the National Democratic Congress campaign promise to the people of the Volta Region, then president and late Prof JEA Mills acquired large acres of land at Sokode Lokoe to establish the University of Health and Allied Sciences in Ho. Subsequently, temporary structures were put in place at the premises of the Volta Regional Hospital for initial admission into the school. About two hundred students were admitted to read various programmes at the school. Currently, a Chinese firm is putting up infrastructure on the permanent site designated for the school at Sokode Lokoe in the Ho Municipality. This development has triggered concerns from a group of people claiming ownership of the land on which the school is to be constructed. According to the frustrated land owners they acquired the land individually from the original owners- the Kokroko family of Sokode and the Dzegble family of Adaklu. These parcels of land have been released to the government for the construction of the University project without any form of compensation to the owners. Speaking to Myjoyonline.com at Sokode, one of the victims, Francis Kojo Gatsey confirmed that the government has indeed taken their land and threatened that if government refuses to address issues concerning their compensation they will be left with no other option than to drive the Chinese contractors out of their land. Mr. Gatsey revealed that the affected persons sought the assistance of a consultancy firm Wisdaf Company Limited in Ho to claim their compensation on their behalf but to no avail. He said, although they welcome the project, they are unhappy about the government attitude towards them. “We bought the land before the government came for it, at least government should show some respect to us the land owners but nobody is saying anything. This is where we use to farm, now we cannot farm any longer,” he lamented. The University of Health and Allied Sciences is expected to have eight schools with campuses at Ho and Hohoe. The schools are School of Medicine, School of Dentistory, School of Pharmacy, School of Allied Health Sciences, School of Nursing and Midwifery and School of Sports and Exercise in Addition to a faculty of Biomedical Sciences.

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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.