Oliver Barker-Vormawor
Convener of the Democracy Hub movement, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, has accused the Petroleum Hub Development Corporation (PHDC) of undermining trust with communities in the Jomoro area by allegedly expanding the scope of land earmarked for the Petroleum Hub project beyond what had been agreed during stakeholder negotiations.
In a social media post, Barker-Vormawor said extensive discussions between government representatives and community leaders had resulted in an agreement to reduce the proposed compulsory acquisition area from 20,513 acres to 5,000 acres.
According to him, the revised figure was communicated to project partners and other stakeholders and was subsequently referenced by President John Dramani Mahama during a meeting with Western Regional chiefs at the Presidency.
Barker-Vormawor noted, however, that the President mistakenly referred to the reduced land size as 5,000 hectares instead of 5,000 acres. He said the error was widely understood as a slip of the tongue and that subsequent communications from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources continued to reference the agreed 5,000-acre figure.
The activist expressed concern that the Petroleum Hub Development Corporation had proceeded to gazette 12,360.9 acres of land, which he said the corporation justified as the equivalent of 5,000 hectares.
He argued that the move contradicts the understanding reached with local communities and risks eroding confidence in the project.
“These are the kinds of things we do that break community trust and in the long run the project will be forestalled,” Barker-Vormawor wrote.
He further alleged that the leadership of the Petroleum Hub Development Corporation, including its Chief Executive Officer, Dr Tony Aubynn, had not acted in good faith in the matter.
The Petroleum Hub project is a flagship initiative intended to establish an integrated petroleum and petrochemical hub in the Jomoro Municipality of the Western Region. The project has faced concerns from some residents and civil society groups over land acquisition and compensation arrangements.
