79-Year-Old former Flagstaff House Worker rendered Homeless after brawl with GNTC

Some officers allegedly from the Ministry of Trade have forcefully ejected a former technician of the Flagstaff House, 79 year old Raymond Ahene, from a government bungalow he has renovated with his personal resources and lived in for the past 29 years at Bannerman Hill at Nsawam in the Eastern Region. The senior citizen who worked at the Flagstaff house and other Ministries during the Kwame Nkrumah era said the occurrence has taken a toll on his health and that of his family.

Narrating his ordeal to Ghananewsonline.com.gh, Mr Ahene explained that, during his time with Oxy Air Company as a distributor, the then Chief Executive Officer (CEO) had an offer to renovate and use a government property, which was a Ghana National Trading Cooperation (GNTC) District Managers’ bungalow of three bedrooms and a hall, but left at the mercy of the weather at Bannerman Hill in Nsawam. However, after assessing the facility and the cost involved in the renovation, the CEO pulled out of the offer. Mr. Ahene said due to his close working relationship with the CEO he offered to take the opportunity to renovate and occupy the property. He indicated that the GNTC after his renovation gave him the first certificate of entry after paying an amount of twenty eight million Old Cedis, which was indicated as rent for seven years.

He further opined that the facility was under the divestiture implementation committee and that anyone who renovates and stays in these kinds of buildings are considered first when an offer of purchase is made.

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“According to divestiture, when you invest in their property, through renovation or otherwise your deposit should be 10% of the property and you pay the rest for ten year but none of these came in, but I was given a five years tenancy,” he noted.

Mr. Ahene lamented that some few days ago; some people believed to be officials of GNTC/Ministry of Trade (with Vehicle registrations: GW-6270-16, GV-400-W and GP-3042) forcefully evicted him and his family from the property by throwing all their belongings outside and locking up the building. He said he thought working for the country for a good number of years and as a Ghanaian, he should have had the first consideration for any offer in relation to the said property and not to be treated in that disgraceful manner. He expressed his frustration and disappointment at the treatment meted out to him and his family and said such situations will not motivate the youth to strive to work hard for the good of the country.

“I never ever expected this, when I was invited to the ministry then the twist all started, human right wise it shouldn’t have happened this way. If a citizen renovates a government property which was left at the mercy of the weather, this is absolutely not the way to treat him,” he lamented.

He contended that the situation is affecting his health and that his sister has even been hospitalized in a hospital in Accra with severe hypertension. He was also worried about his orphan grand children as they are not able to attend school regularly.

However, our sources revealed that, Mr. Ahene’s nightmares started after an MTN tower with number 600589 was sited on the land with the said bungalow and that greedy officials from both the ministry of trade and the defunct GNTC intentionally evicted the poor retiree to take charge of the property and land on which the MTN Tower is currently located.

“They are doing all these things to him because of the MTN Tower and the money they can make from the citing of the tower on the land. He was living here and nobody cares until the tower came here, it’s unfortunate how we treat senior citizens in this country,” our source bemoaned.

It became also known that Mr. Ohene receives 600ghc monthly as caretaker fee for the tower from MTN Ghana. All payments were halted after he went to court to seek redress of the issue upon receipt of the first eviction notice. Our sources further indicated that officials from the Estate Directorate of the Ministry of Trade in the Eastern Region are mounting pressure on MTN Ghana to pay all outstanding royalties to them after the former technician of the Flagstaff house; Mr. Raymond Ahene lost the case to the state.

Mr. Ahene and his family are now perching in a dilapidated building with broken windows and doors in the Bannerman Hill in Nsawam and are therefore appealing to the government to consider his plea and be considered for the purchase of the property and to philanthropists and other organizations to come to his aid.

Source: ghananewsonline.com.gh