Celebrity Golf Club urges Interior Ministry, REGSEC to halt encroachment
Mr Alex Oppong-Baffoe, Captain of the Celebrity Golf Club (CGC), has described as dire the impact of encroachment on one of the few remaining 18-hole golf facilities in the country.
The CGC, located at Sakumono is under threat due to ongoing encroachment, despite a court injunction prohibiting any development on the land.
Consequently, the club, he stated, has appealed to the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) and the ministry of the Interior, as well as Youth and Recreation to intervene to protect the course.
Addressing a press conference over the weekend, Mr Oppong-Baffoe said the golf course, spanning 98 acres, has seen 18 acres encroached upon as developers clear trees, erect walls, and block access to the dam that supplies critical water to the course.
According to Mr Oppong-Baffoe, developers have cleared trees along the northern edge of the course, an area earmarked for a practice range.
Furthermore, he underlined that the club was frustrated with the indifference of the Tema Development Corporation (TDC) and the police, adding that these activities were being carried out in blatant violation of a court injunction.
He again indicated that the Celebrity Golf Course also serves a critical national purpose, doubling as a disaster management and evacuation centre.
Additionally, he said the Ghana Airforce utilises it for training exercises involving disaster evacuation management.
Also in attendance was Mr Emile Short, a former Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and an avid golfer, who described the encroachment as a serious criminal violation.
He warned that the involvement of armed land guards posed a grave threat to public safety.
“This Golf Club has been in existence for decades. Suddenly, we have this encroachment with rapid construction aimed at destroying the course. It’s a serious matter that the authorities must address. The use of armed land guards is a criminal act, and we cannot allow this to escalate into violence,” Mr Short noted.
Moreover, he urged the club to pursue both legal and political interventions to ensure the situation was resolved. “In addition to legal steps, political authorities must act decisively to stop this encroachment. The police and the military should also step in to prevent further violations of the law,” he added.
President of the Ghana Golf Association, Leonard Kwaku Okyere, Lady Captain of the Celebrity Golf Club Cathy Fabbi, and a senior golfer, Joe Ohemeng, who were present at the conference, also expressed their frustration at the activities of the encroachers.
They called on the security agencies in the country to intervene.
BY TIMES SPORTS
REPORTER
