Akufo-Addo can easily relocate Sentuo Oil Refinery - Moshake

The Secretary to the Tema Sakumor shrine, Mr. Stephen Ashitey Adjei, has dismissed claims that it is too late for President Nana Akufo-Addo to direct a stoppage of the construction of a private oil refinery in Tema Manhean near Valco.

In a statement, Mr. Ashitey Adjei, who is popularly called Moshake, said the claim that the Sentuo oil refinery project is too advanced for the president to direct its relocation is bogus because the president is clothed with the power to do so.

“As I have indicated in earlier articles, the combined effect of Article 58 and Article 295 of the 1992 constitution is that, the president is government and government is the President; and so whatever the President needs to have the needful done is vested in him,” Moshake wrote.

The power and authority basis of the president and his presidency established, he argued that all that the president needs to act is conscience and in this regard, President Akufo-Addo has a track record that proves he is up to task.

“President Akufo-Addo is called Abu-dani because he solved the Dagbon crisis,” Moshake pointed out, adding, “it could therefore not be true that getting Sentuo oil refinery relocated, which is far more easier than solving the 30 years old Dagbon crisis, is impossible for him.”

Moshake’s write-up is in response to claims around town that the construction of the Sentuo oil refinery in Tema Manhean has reached too far an advanced stage for government to order its relocation.

The claim started floating around after Moshake had made a number of clarion calls on the President to get the refinery to be relocated from Manhean which is a densely populated place.

According to him, oil refineries are supposed to be sited at places far away from human settlements because of the catastrophic propensities of accidents.

“In the event of an explosion of the refinery, all of Tema Manhean and its catchment areas would be wiped off,” Moshake pointed out in an earlier statement.

He also points out that already, Manhean is host to the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) so that the people can be said to be saddled with potential disaster.

What’s more, there are allegations that the siting of the Sentuo oil refinery in Manhean was not approved by the Tema branch of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), implying that the people behind the project may cut corners.

It is in response to these concerns, and the call on the President to have the refinery stopped and relocated that some persons are claiming that it is rather too late since the construction has reached very advanced stage.

“I totally disagree, because in addition to the President being clothed with all the requisite power and authority to order its relocation, he has also achieved so many things that many thought was impossible – take free SHS for instance, solving the Dagbon crisis and even reconciling with former President Rawlings after years of hostility between them that no one believed could end,” Moshake stated.