Twifo-Hemang (C/R) Aug. 14 GNA- President John Agyekum Kufuor on Saturday directed the Ministry of Lands, Forestry and Mines to investigate the protracted Twifo-Hemang Stool land issue. He said it was unfortunate that the protracted case had denied the area of the needed revenue for development.

President Kufuor gave the directive in reaction to an appeal by the people at a durbar of chiefs and people of the area, held in his honour at Twifo-Hemang in the Twifo-Hemang-Lower-Denkyira district, as part of the President's five-day tour of the Central Region.

A similar durbar was held at Twifo Nyinase also in the district. President Kufuor requested the Ministry of Tourism and Modernisation of the Capital City, to investigate the disbursement of revenue accrued from the Kakum National Park to the beneficiary traditional areas that provided lands towards the creation of the facility.

Otumfuo Amoa Sasraku III, Omanhene of the Twifo-Hemang Traditional Area in his welcome address, alleged that the Ellis and Wood families prepared fictitious documents to claim that they had bought the entire Twifo-Hemang stool land, resulting in litigation over the ownership of the land since 1894.

He said during the National Redemption Council (NRC) regime, a commission was set up to investigate the issue. Otumfuo Sasraku stated that the body recommended that the land should be returned to the Stool but this had not been implemented, depriving the area of any compensation that could be used for development.

He said, "We appeal to you to make sure we get back our land to reflect the spirit and letter of the acquisition of the land".

On the Kakum National Park, Otumfuo Sasraku said owners of the land did not benefit from the revenue accrued from the park and suggested that a percentage of the revenue accrued from operations there should be given to the traditional council and the district assembly as royalties for development.

President Kufuor later inspected progress of work on the Twifo Praso Senior Secondary School that had been relocated on a 250-acre land. The school that had been selected for upgrading, had been allocated 16 billion cedis for the provision of facilities and infrastructure. District Chief executive of Twifo Hemang-Lower-Denkyira conducted the President round the project.