Proprietor of Obek Preparatory School at Manhean Numotsen in the Ga West District of the Greater Accra Region, Emmanuel Oduro, has, once again, called on state regulatory bodies—National Petroleum Authority (NPA) and Environmental Agency (EPA)—to prevent management of Glee Oil from siting a filling station right in front of his school.
According to the proprietor of Obek Preparatory School, the location of this new Glee Oil filling station will pose danger not only to pupils, teaching and non-teaching staff of his school, but also to residents whose residential facilities are close to the intended project.
Mr Oduro was reacting to a publication in Today recently which story saw management of Glee Oil, accusing him [Mr Oduro] of being behind the destruction of their properties on the said land.
In the said publication, Director of Operations of Glee Oil, Alhaji Musa Nartey, alleged that Mr Oduro has engaged some youth in the area to thwart Glee Oil’s efforts at constructing a filling station in the area.
“It is preposterous for Alhaji Musa Nartey to make this wild allegation. In fact, it is not true that I engaged some youth in Manhean to destroy his property on the said land. And for the records, I am not inciting the youth of Manhean against Glee Oil,” Mr Oduro averred.
According to Mr Oduro, his bone of contention was that where the filling station was being sited will endanger lives of both residents and the pupils.
Furthermore, he refuted the allegation by Alhaji Musah that he [Mr Oduro] went to the chief of Manhean to have the land re-sold to him. “My brother… [referring to our reporter], the said land we are talking about is not even up to one plot [which measurement usually is supposed to be 70X100]. Indeed this piece of land has no space at both sides, yet Glee wants to build a filling station there…can you imagine that?” he asked.
On the allegation by Glee Oil that he was interested in the land, Mr Oduro denied flatly, stressing that “all I am calling for is that NPA, EPA, Town and Country Planning and the other regulatory bodies should prevent a looming danger in the area.”
“I am a peaceful person and there is no way I will hire so-called thugs to break the wall of another person’s property as alleged by Alhaji Musah,” the proprietor of Obek stressed.
Mr Oduro indicated that he was confident that both the NPA and the EPA will act in the greater good of the people of Manhean.
He went on to debunk the allegation by Glee that he was a card-bearing member of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
On this score, he advised Alhaji Musah against politicising the issue at hand.
“…it is not true that I am a card-bearing member of the NPP, and we are talking about a project which completion will put the lives of pupils and residents at high risk. And it is surprising that Glee is doing politics with such an important issue.
“What is more, I have not said anywhere that I will inform National Security Minister, Albert Kan Dapaah, to use his good office to stop Glee. All that I am saying is that where the filling station is being built will cause danger to lives and properties,” Mr Oduro warned.
He made it clear that he will not sit on the fence and allow a filling station to be built right in front of his school to put his pupils at harm’s way.
Meanwhile, Today has learnt that residents of Manhean Numotsen are up in arms against management of Glee Oil.
Some of them who spoke to the paper made it clear that they will soon organise a protest march to register their disquiet about the ongoing filling station project.
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