Gas station owner adamant to quit order (Back Page)

June 10, 2009

A Privately owned gas filling station situated on the Odorgonno Senior High School (SHS) compound is to be relocated, although a six-month ultimatum given to that effect elapsed in February, 2009.
The Arcadian Gas Filling Station, which is about 60 metres away from the assembly hall of the school of 1,900 students, was established in 1999, when the assembly hall was not built.
A visit to the place by the Daily Graphic yesterday showed that, in addition to the SHS, a new model school, which was funded by the Chinese government and was inaugurated just some few weeks ago, is also too close to the gas station.
In an interview, the Headmistress of the school, Mrs Mary Amankwah, said the Board of Directors of the school gave approval for the siting of the gas station at a time buildings on the school compound were far from the location, and was, therefore, not dangerous.
She, however, said now that the school had been selected as one of the model schools in the Greater Accra Region, it had been provided with many structures on the compound which, therefore, made it unsafe for the gas station to remain on the premises.
Mrs Amankwah explained that looking at the situation and the danger it posed to both the staff and students of the school, the current Board of Governors, chaired by the former Director General of the Ghana Health Service, Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, deliberated on the need to get the station to move out of the school compound and made moves towards that.
The headmistress confirmed that in August` 2008, the Ministry of Education wrote to the owner of the gas station to relocate his company, but this had been to no avail.
Mrs Amankwah pointed out that the school did not sell or lease out the plot to the owner of the gas station, but was quick to explaine that the man had provided some social services to the school, citing construction of a washroom on the school compound.
She said the school authority, as well as parents whose wards were in the school, had on countless occasions complained about the presence of the gas station on the school compound, and expressed hope that the owner would abide by the orders from the Education Ministry and vacate the premises before disaster struck.
When contacted on phone, the owner of Arcadian Gas Filling Station, Mr Ransford France, said he was making all the necessary efforts to relocate, but had so far not succeeded in acquiring a suitable place.
He also stated that the gas business was capital intensive and he would, therefore, need a longer period for him to organise himself and relocate.
Mr France said he was given approval by the school’s board when the place was bushy and waterlogged and had to spend millions of cedis at that time to develop the place, adding that “in addition to the washroom, I also helped in constructing the wall around the school as well as constructing the road to the school”.