The youth insisted that the Meridian Hotel area represented the original settlement of the Tema people before their relocation to present-day Tema Manhean.
It is their argument that the site was not merely a commercial asset but an important symbol of Tema’s heritage and identity, which must be preserved for future generations.
Speaking on behalf of the group, one Benjamin Mensah Commey said the land has, in recent months, become the subject of controversy following reports that it has been sold or leased to a private investor.
He claimed that the traditional authorities in Tema were yet to be formally informed about the identity of the developer and the specific purpose for which the land is being redeveloped
Commey argued that the land was compulsorily acquired by the government many years ago without any compensation to the original owners.
“Government took this land without paying a dime to the people of Tema, and today the same land is being disposed off without proper consultation,” he stated.
Meanwhile, checks by Graphic Online at the TDC Ghana Ltd idicate that the Divestiture Implementation Committee (DIC) authorised the issuance of a fresh sublease on the defunct property and its lands to a developer in the year 2007
The developer, according to a source, legally secured a 50-year lease from the TDC in 2007 to demolish the existing structure and redevelop it into a modern, fit-for-purpose hospitality facility.
The old Meridian Hotel currently stands as an abandoned structure, which has become a haven for drug addicts, thieves, and unauthorised parking space for articulated trucks.
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