Asuansi Technical Institute’s Lands Under Threat

A vast tract of land belonging to the Asuansi Technical Institute, which has been preserved for decades for future use, has come under serious threat as sand winners have allegedly threatened to take over.

About three weeks ago, the sand winners were said to have allegedly stormed the said land with their equipment and attempted to win the sand away for commercial use.

According to reliable sources, the move by the miners to engage in sand winning activities on the school’s land created huge tension momentarily as some past students in the area were said to have angrily protested.

Principal’s account

Briefing The Chronicle about the development, the Principal of Asuansi Technical Institute, Mr Ishmael Arthur, confirmed that some sand winners wanted to trespass onto the school’s land.

“When we became aware of their presence, we quickly moved in to warn them and as soon as we told them to move out they agreed and moved their machines, so we do not have any further problem with them.

“As they agreed and packed their machines away, the issue was amicably resolved and they have not returned to the place to engage in their planned activities”, he said.

Meanwhile, Nana Yeboah and one Kobbina Quin, who are the right-hand men of the Omanhen of Abora Traditional Area, Nana Otu XI, have been accused of being behind the plan to turn the school’s property into a sand winning site for their selfish gains.

Nana Yeboah and Kwabena Quin were further alleged to have been using the name of Nana Ouin XI to give out lands to contractors to win sand, an allegation that The Chronicle could not independently confirm.

Mr Pat Otchere, an old student of Asuansi Technical Institute, alleged that but for the timely intervention by the vigilant old students, the school’s land would have been completely destroyed by the Contractor who stormed there with his machines.

“I am surprised that these two individuals who are creating troubles for the Omanhen were said to have been designated by the same Omanhen to go to the school to meet with the principal about this sand winning issue.

We know them so well and we also know what they are capable of doing, so we are going to remain vigilant and protect our school property from being destroyed through sand winning”, Mr Otchere added.

Nana Yeboah denies involvement

However, Nana Yeboah has denied the allegations that he and Kobbina Quin were responsible for the planned sand winning on a piece of land which belonged to the Asuansi Technical Institute.

He explained that the two of them (Nana Yeboah and Kobbina Quin) only came onto the scene when it was alleged that some people with machines have trespassed onto Asu Tech’s reserved land.

Speaking to The Chronicle in a telephone interview, Nana Yeboah stated categorically that neither himself nor Kobbina Quin had commissioned anybody to win sand on a piece of land that belonged to Asu Tech.

He said, “We were alarmed that some people who engage in farming activities on a piece of land and sought permission to win sand on that land have trespassed onto a piece of land that belongs to the Asuansi Technical Institute.

“Our mission for going there was to ascertain what was happening so that we could report to Omanhen who granted permission to the farmers to win the sand on their own farm land for him to take action”.

The Principal, he said, promised to bring the chiefs of Asuansi to come and identify their mounted pillars, which served as boundaries so that adequate measures could be put in place to prevent people from encroaching.

“It is, therefore, baseless for any person or group of persons to accuse me of being the mastermind behind the purported sand winning. Did anybody mention my name as the one who gave them the permit or authority?

The Omanhen gave a portion of his land out for sand winning so if the principal or anybody claims that their land has been taken then they should come and show their pillars or locate their boundary to determine their case”, he said.

Old Students’ concern.

Even though the alleged sand winners have not returned to the land as confirmed by the principal of the institute, some old students have raised concerns claiming that the alleged miners could not be trusted.

They have, therefore, called for stringent measures to ensure that all school lands could be properly secured legally and any other appropriate means to prevent would-be encroachers from taking them away.

A past student, Mr Nathaniel Mensah, who spoke to this paper said, “Asu Tech, as an old school, is now expanding rapidly and this calls for availability of lands to accommodate the kind of infrastructural development that is taking place.

The school needs more dormitories to accommodate the ever-increasing students’ population, so as past students, we cannot sit unconcerned and allow some individuals to destroy the piece of land that could be used for future expansion”.

Visit to the site

A visit to the site revealed that indeed some activities of sand mining have taken place already.

However, the paper could not independently testify whether the piece of land where the sand mining has taken place indeed belonged to the school.

However, it was also observed that another area has been beautifully cleared by the supposed sand miners to be used for sand mining, but the paper could not again ascertain whether it belonged to the Asu Tech.

Meanwhile, the area that has been cleared and stood ready to be excavated for sand, has become the bone of contention between the aggrieved past students who live around the area and Nana Yeboah and Kobbina Quin on the other hand.

The aggrieved old students who mainly live in Abakrampa and Nyamedom insisted that the Omanhen must drive both Nana Yeboah and Kobbina Quin away from his palace for their complicity in the raging matter.

Nana Yeboah, on the other, told The Chronicle that he and Kobbina Quin were only sent by the Omanhen but did not act on their own.

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