Ollennu's Definiton of Land

Ollennu's Definiton of Land

The word ``land'' in law is used to refer to more than just the two-dimensional, tangible surface soil on which people stand or walk. Nii Amaa Ollennu, in his book Principles of Customary Land Law in Ghana, introduces the concept of land in the law as follows:

``The term ``land'' as understood in customary law has a wide application. It includes the land itself, i.e., the surface soil; it includes things on the soil which are enjoyed with it as being part of the land by nature, e.g., rivers, streams, lakes, lagoons, creeks, growing trees like palm trees and dawadawa trees, or as being artificially fixed to it like houses, buildings and any structures whatsoever; int also includes any estate, interest or right in, to, or over the land or over any of the other things which land denotes, e.g., the right to collect snails or herbs, or to hunt on land.''1.1

Ollennu's definition raises a few important points. ``Land'' includes things growing on or attached to land, such as trees or buildings. ``Land'' includes water. In Ollennu's formulation, ``land'' includes rights as well (e.g., the right to hunt or collect snails). Because law is a set of rules, it is useful to think of ``land'' as consisting of a party's rights under a set of rules. Lawsuits do not deal so much with the physical things that a layperson might think of as land -- soil, trees, buildings and even snails -- as with the rights which a party may enforce in court.

This is a big change from the normal way to think about land, and rights. Using the word this way, when someone says ``X has a land interest in Property Y'' is the same as saying ``X has a set of rights relateded to Property Y which may be enforced in court.'' So a precise definition of ``land'' is difficult, but it encompases rights over a variety of things attached to soil.

Ashitey Trebi-Ollennu, Ph.D, CEng FIEE, SMIEE

Ashitey Trebi-Ollennu, Ph.D, CEng FIEE, SMIEE
Group Leader, Senior Member of Engineering Staff

Biography

Dr Ashitey Trebi-Ollennu is a Senior Member of Engineering Staff at the NASA-Jet Proportion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, in Pasadena, CA and a Fellow of the IEE (U.K.). His current research at JPL focuses on Planetary Rovers, Manipulation, Multiple Mobile Robots (Planetary Outpost), Reconfigurable Robots and Man-machine Interaction. Dr. Trebi-Ollennu's research has resulted in more than 65 publications. He currently works on the Mars Exploration Rover Operations Team as a Rover Planner (Rover Driver) responsible for Surface Mobility/Navigation Planning, IDD Planning, and Command Generation.

Education

Ph. D. in Control Systems Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied
Science, Royal Military College Science, Cranfield University, U.K., 1996.

B.Eng. in Avionics, Department of Aeronautical Engineering, Queen Mary College,
University of London, 1991.

Professional Experience

Highly accomplished visionary Multidisciplinary Engineer with a broad background and extensive hands-on experience in Space Robotics Systems, Flight Systems Integration & Test, Planetary Rover Operations, System of Systems Design, Distributed Mobile Robotics, System Architectures, Dynamic Modeling, Control Systems design for Aerospace and Mechatronics Systems and Contract Technical Management.

Results-oriented, decisive leader with proven success in transitioning technology into flight.

Research Interests

Planetary Rovers
Adjustable Autonomy
Mechatronics,
System of Systems
Manipulation
Planetary Rover Operations
Multiple Mobile Robots
Reconfigurable Robots
Man-machine Interaction.

Justice Nii Amaa Ollennu

Raphael Nii Amaa Ollennu (1906 - 1986)^[1] was the Chairman of the Presidential Commission and acting President of Ghana during the Second Republic from 7 August 1970 to 31 August 1970.

Nii Amaa Ollennu was one of the Accra representatives in the Gold Coast Legislative Assembly during the early 1950s.^[2] He once led the Ghana Congress Party, which along with the United Gold Coast Convention and the National Democratic Party, were parties of the 'Danquah-Busia tradition. He was thus in opposition alongside Busia and Danquah to Nkrumah's Convention People's Party.

President of Ghana

During the second republic, Ollennu was the Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana from October 1969 to January 1972. He also became the acting president of Ghana on 7 August, 1970. He was officially the chairman of the Presidential Commission. He took over from the previous military leader, Lt. Gen. Afrifa and handed over on 31 August, 1970 to Edward Akufo-Addo who was elected on 31 August, 1970 by an electoral college. He polled 123 votes to 35 by Edward Asafu Adjaye. This was a ceremonial presidency as executive power was held by the prime minister, Dr. Busia. Nii Amaa Ollennu was married to a sister of Dr. Busia the prime minister.[