The former Member of Parliament for Odododiodio Constituency, Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye, has recounted what he describes as one of the most disheartening moments of his parliamentary career.
In a candid reflection, the seasoned lawmaker revealed that the day Parliament passed the bill granting Electrochem Ghana Limited control over the Songhor Salt Project remains a painful memory.
According to Nii Lante Vanderpuye, the decision to hand over the salt resource, a key economic asset located in the Ada area, was met with significant opposition from many stakeholders, including traditional authorities, local residents, and civil society actors who feared that the move would marginalize the local people and deny them their livelihoods.
“For me, it was a very disappointing day — perhaps one of the lowest points I experienced in the House,” he said. “To see such a strategic national asset effectively given to a private entity without sufficient protections for the indigenous people who have relied on the resource for generations — it was heartbreaking.”
He emphasized that the Songhor salt lagoon had long served as a source of income and sustenance for many in the area and believed that better consultation and more equitable frameworks could have preserved community interests while attracting investment.
The former Member of Parliament for Odododiodio Constituency, Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye noted that his objection to the bill was rooted in principle and a desire to protect the vulnerable.
“It wasn’t about politics. It was about people. We are elected to speak for the voiceless, and on that day, I felt that voice was ignored.”
Story By Freedom Lavoe.
