Many house at various stages of construction, located on farmlands belonging to the University of Ghana at Nungua, were demolished in a special exercise. The exercise, executed by the authorities of the University of Ghana, under heavy police and military security was to protect the land from encroachment by private individuals and other developers.
The houses affected included a 15-unit two storey building, a senior high school classroom block, some companies, a warehouse, a church and a block factory. Other structures demolished were walls and wooden structures.
The exercise, which began at 5am, took the occupants of the houses by surprise as many of them were still in bed at the time. Most of the occupants who were caretakers quickly called their landlords on phone to inform them of the demolition exercise.
The farmland, covered, 2570 acres, was acquired by the University of Ghana from the Nungua Stool in 1940 for agricultural research.
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor N.B. Tagoe, said the action to demolish the structures became necessary because several appeals to the developers to stop the encroachment did not yield any positive results.
Apparently worried that several portions of the university�s farmlands were being taken over by illegal developers, Professor Tagoe explained that the 2570 acres belonging to the university were acquired for agricultural research purposes and must be used for the intended purpose.
He, therefore, cautioned persons who had acquired parcels of land in that area to stop further development otherwise the university would use every available means to protect its property. �If you have bought land within the area from any group or individual go back and take your money,� he advised.
The Head of the Agriculture Research Centre of the University of Ghana, Dr Augustine Naazi, explained that the land was given to the university for a lease period of 200 years, we are only about 50 years into the lease period,� he said.Dr Naazi said the land at the moment was being used by the research centre for grazing purposes. �This land is not even enough for grazing of our animals,� he added. Last July, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Alhaji Collins Dauda, ordered the immediate demolition of all illegal structures on the land to pave way for the university to use the land for its intended purpose.
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