The Concerned Citizens of Ezinlibo community in the Jomoro Constituency of the Western Region, have called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to stop coming to Ezinlibo to commission the yet-to-be completed Forward Operating Base (FOB) in the area.

According to the spokesperson, Joel Samuel Ndede, president Akufo-Addo is rushing to commission the project for a political reason.

"It has come to our attention that President Nana Akufo-Addo plans to visit Ezinlibo in the Jomoro Municipality tomorrow, Monday, 23rd December 2024, to commission the Ezinlibo Naval Forward Operations Base (FOB). However, this base remains far from operational, and the rushed commissioning has raised grave concerns among the people of Ezinlibo and surrounding communities, including Allowuley and Allenzule", the statement stated.

Read below the full statement;

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRESIDENT NANA AKUFO-ADDO COMMISSIONS INCOMPLETE EZINLIBO NAVAL FORWARD OPERATIONS BASE (FOB) BY NPP GOVERNMENT

Date: 22nd December, 2024

It has come to our attention that President Nana Akufo-Addo plans to visit Ezinlibo in the Jomoro Municipality tomorrow, Monday, 23rd December 2024, to commission the Ezinlibo Naval Forward Operations Base (FOB). However, this base remains far from operational, and the rushed commissioning has raised grave concerns among the people of Ezinlibo and surrounding communities, including Allowuley and Allenzule.

We are particularly disappointed because, after their miserable loss in the just-ended general elections, we expected President Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP to have learned their lesson. Yet, here we are again, witnessing Akufo-Addo rushing to commission incomplete projects, disregarding the true state of development and the needs of the people.

Background to the Project

The concept of the Ezinlibo Naval Forward Operations Base (FOB) was conceived under the visionary leadership of the late President, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, and his then Vice President, John Dramani Mahama, in 2010. This project was championed by the then Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Lt. Gen. Peter Augustine Blay, who recognized the necessity of such a base to enhance security in Ghana’s emerging oil industry. President Nana Akufo-Addo acknowledged his contributions during the sod-cutting ceremony in 2019.

The Atta Mills government initiated feasibility studies and secured funds for the project. The Mahama administration further advanced these efforts with comprehensive assessments. While construction of the FOB began under the NPP government in 2019, significant portions remain incomplete. Although progress has been made on accommodation for naval personnel, the core naval operational facilities remain only 15% finished. As a result, the base is not operational and should not be commissioned in its current state.

Concerns of the Ezinlibo Community

We, the people of Ezinlibo and its neighboring communities, are deeply troubled by the rushed commissioning of a project that is far from complete. The NPP government is prioritizing the completion of accommodation facilities while neglecting the critical components of the naval base—the sea defense and operational capabilities.

Naval bases are designed to protect and secure territorial waters, not simply provide land-based accommodation. Yet, the essential operational facilities needed for the Navy to protect Ghana’s coastline and oil resources remain incomplete. It is alarming that a government which claims to prioritize national security is rushing to commission an incomplete project, seemingly as a political maneuver despite their defeat in the recent elections. This hasty decision insults the intelligence of the Nzema people and Ghanaians at large, who have waited patiently for the full completion of this important project.

Broken Promises

This is not the first time the NPP has attempted to deceive the people of Nzema. In 2016, they promised cassava and fertilizer factories in Nzema, as well as $1 million per constituency. None of these promises were fulfilled. Similarly, in 2020, just before the election, Dr. Bawumia cut sod for the Samenye-Jaway Wharf road in a grand ceremony attended by our paramount chiefs and elders. To this day, that road remains in deplorable condition. The much-touted Petroleum Hub, also launched with fanfare, remains a distant dream with no budget allocation, feasibility study, or impact assessment.

Now, once again, Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP government are rushing to commission a project that is nowhere near completion. Contractors are under pressure to hastily complete access roads within the base, resulting in poorly constructed roads. This is nothing more than another deceitful tactic to mislead the Nzema people and Ghanaians.

Incomplete Project, Disregard for Environmental Impact

Let us be clear: only 15% of the FOB project has been completed. The main operational base, which is crucial for protecting our sea and oil resources, remains unfinished. What, then, is being commissioned? The accommodation blocks? The hastily constructed roads? Or the incomplete naval facilities where no real operations can take place?

Moreover, the construction has caused significant damage to our communities. Houses, rivers, and cemeteries—important cultural heritage sites—have been destroyed. Despite our repeated pleas, the government has ignored the recommendations of the project’s environmental impact assessment, which called for the construction of a sea defense to protect the livelihoods and properties of communities like Ezinlibo, Agyeza, and Allegezule.

Conclusion

The people of Nzema will not be deceived again. We demand answers from the government:
1. What exactly is being commissioned on 23rd December 2024?
2. Why has the core operational base, critical for the Navy’s role in protecting our sea and oil resources, been left incomplete?
3. Why has the government ignored the environmental and cultural damage caused by the construction?
4. Why have the Ezinlibo township roads, damaged by heavy construction trucks, not been repaired?
5. Why has the government failed to meet its corporate social responsibility commitments to the affected communities?

We call on the media and the general public to visit the site and see for themselves. The project, in its current state, is a mockery of the NPP’s promises to protect Ghana’s territorial waters. Commissioning an incomplete project is nothing more than a political gimmick to gain votes. This rushed effort will only result in financial losses for the state, as naval personnel stationed at the incomplete base will be unable to carry out meaningful operations.

The Nzema people are vigilant and will not fall for these political tricks. We demand the proper completion of the Forward Operations Base—one that will truly serve the people of Ghana and protect our coastline and oil resources.

Signed,

Joel Samuel Ndede

Spokesperson, Concerned Citizens of Ezinlibo

Tel: 0543257294