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The Minister for Information and Presidential spokesperson, Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid has described as completely false media reports that shop owners and traders around the private residence of President Akufo-Addo were given only a week's notice to vacate the location.

A statement issued by the Presidency and signed by Dr Hamid said the leadership of the artisans and traders requested for a six-week grace period from National Security, beginning from the last week of January 2018, to enable them to move which was granted.

The statement also disclosed that Akufo-Addo personally paid compensation packages from his own resources to some of the traders and artisans after National Security had concluded negotiations with them.

It said a group of artisans, describing themselves as “the Junior Masters”, who were not beneficiaries of the initial compensation, in a letter to President Akufo-Addo, dated February 25, 2018, appealed to the President to be included in the compensation package, a request to which the President has accepted.