The landlord and sectional heads of Tumu in the Sissala East Municipality have given owners of structures along some roads in Tumu a two-week ultimatum to relocate to pave the way for the construction of those roads.  

The directive affected buildings and stores located along the Tumu roundabout towards the Loe Road, where construction was expected to begin soon.  

The initiative was to improve cross-border transportation of goods and services between Ghana and Burkina Faso.  

Baba Tommy Kanton, the Landlord, gave the ultimatum in Tumu during a meeting with the affected people.  

He commended President John Mahama and the Member of Parliament for Sissala East, Isaah Mohammed Bataglia, for including the Tumu-Burkina Faso road in the government’s road infrastructure programme.  

He also commended Mawums Construction Limited for its good work and appealed to the government to award the remaining town road projects to the company, describing it as hardworking and ready for the job.  

Baba Kanton stressed that his intervention was for the development of the area and not for votes because he was not a politician.  

He, therefore, cautioned the MP and other government officials against interfering with the contractor’s work, as political intervention could be motivated by attempts to win favour with residents.  

Baba Kanton acknowledged that some affected residents might plead for more time but urged them not to do so, insisting that he would not intervene and would allow the area to be developed.  

Speaking at the gathering, the MP for Sissala East, Isaah Mohammed Bataglia, assured affected people that the road project would proceed in accordance with the landlord’s directive.  

He acknowledged the difficulties associated with the relocation exercise but said the broader development needs of the municipality had to be considered.  

He, however, said he would work closely with the contractor to minimise the impact of the exercise on residents.   

Alhaji YY, one of the affected residents, appealed to the landlord to consider granting residents an additional three days if they were unable to vacate within the stipulated two-week period.  

He said though the residents were unhappy about losing parts of their properties, they supported the landlord’s vision of developing the area.  

Alhaji YY said he was born 27 in one of the affected houses, which is more than 70 years old, but acknowledged that he had no option but to give up part of the structure to make way for the road construction.