The landlord of Tumu, Baba Tommy Kanton, together with his sectional heads, has given structure owners a two-week ultimatum to relocate and pave the way for the construction of roads in Tumu. He said all buildings and stores erected along the roundabout towards the Leo road must be vacated so the contractor can begin work soon.

He commended President John Mahama and the MP for Sissala East, Hon. Issah Mohammed Bataglia, for heeding his call to include the Tumu–Burkina Faso road under the government’s “Big Push” infrastructure programme. He also praised MAWUMS Construction Limited and appealed to government to award the remaining town roads to the company, describing it as hardworking and ready for the job.

The landlord said he was not a politician and did not want votes. For that reason, he warned the MP and other government officials not to interfere with the contractor’s work, saying politicians might be tempted to intervene in order to win favour with residents. He said he was aware some affected residents would come to his house to plead with him, but he urged them not to, saying he would not intervene and would allow the area to be developed.

Given the opportunity to speak, the MP assured structure owners that work would proceed as directed by the landlord, but said he would also work closely with the contractor to ensure the impact on residents was minimised.

He acknowledged the exercise was difficult but said the overall development of the municipality outweighed individual concerns. Speaking light-heartedly, he said: “My friend, Mahama Drug Store, is affected, but he still picked up his car and came here with me.”

Alhaji YY, one of those affected, appealed to the landlord that if residents were unable to vacate within the two weeks, they be granted an additional three days. He added that although they were unhappy, they supported the landlord’s vision to develop the area. He said he was born in the affected house, which is over 70 years old, but had no option but to give up one side of it for the road construction.

By: Radford FM