MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has responded to a denial by the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, regarding allegations that the current government is selling state lands to its cronies.
The Minister, in a statement, had dismissed Ablakwa’s claims as entirely false and urged the Ghanaian public to disregard them.
Mr Ablakwa had alleged that state lands, including properties belonging to the Parks and Gardens, the Ghana Prisons Service, and others, were being sold. He also claimed that lands currently housing judges had been sold, forcing them to vacate their premises within a specified period.
In a press statement issued on Tuesday, July 16, and signed by Mr Jinapor, he asserted that the Akufo-Addo-led government had not sold any state lands. The statement further clarified that any government lands currently under public scrutiny were sold during the previous administration of John Mahama, of which Ablakwa was a member.
In a sharp response, Mr Ablakwa insists there is overwhelming and incontrovertible evidence of state capture by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government.
He claimed that under the NPP government, cronies have captured Labadi Beachfront, demolished the Bulgarian Embassy, sold Parks and Gardens lands in Wa, portions of Ghana Prisons Service lands, and leased the W.E.B. Du Bois Centre for 50 years in a sweetheart deal.
Read details of Mr Ablakwa’s response below:
RESPONSE TO MINISTER FOR LANDS AND NATURAL RESOURCES’ STATE CAPTURE DENIAL
My attention has been drawn to a statement from the Minister responsible for Lands and Natural Resources in what appears to be a desperate effort at refuting the overwhelming and incontrovertible evidence of state capture by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government.
I take judicial notice that Hon. Samuel Abu Jinapor’s disingenuously selective statement was totally silent on the following cases of blatant State Capture which I have consistently spoken against in and outside Parliament:
1. The demolition of the Bulgarian Embassy located in East Cantonments on 26th April, 2017 and subsequent sale of the land in issue to an appointee of President Akufo-Addo at the NDPC by name, Dr. Yaw Adu Ampomah. My exposé led to government establishing a commission of inquiry. Instructively, the Bulgarians are yet to be compensated as recommended by the Sole Inquirer, Justice Kwasi Anto Ofori-Atta.
2. The demolishing of properties belonging to the Nigerian High Commission on the night of June 19, 2020.
3. The loss of Labadi Beach Hotel’s beachfront to Former NPP Chairman, Mr. Freddie Blay’s sons.
4. Opaque attempted sale of 62.14 acres of prime land belonging to the Ghana Airports Company Limited to Heaven Builders Limited which was eventually aborted due to my timely exposé on Monday, October 2, 2023.
5. Portions of Ghana Prisons Service barracks land located near the Danquah Circle roundabout, Osu which has been handed over to a private developer. The Minister responsible for the Interior, Hon. Henry Quartey has since confirmed this when he appeared in Parliament to respond to my urgent questions on Friday, July 5, 2024.
Parks and Gardens Land in Wa
It is worthy of note that the Lands and Natural Resources Minister confirms my exposé on the sale of the Parks and Gardens land in Wa. The attempt by the Minister to seek refuge in dubious rezoning claims would not be accepted.
I commend the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Hon. Martin Adjei Mensah-Korsah who clearly disagrees with the Lands and Natural Resources Minister by his assurance to Parliament on July 4, 2024 when he responded to my urgent questions that he will take active steps to reclaim the land and demolish the illegal fuel station constructed on the Wa Parks and Gardens land.
Parks and Gardens Land in Cantonments
The Lands and Natural Resources Minister claims the land in issue was sold under the NDC.
Instructively, when the Minister for Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development appeared before Parliament on July 4, 2024, he stated emphatically and unequivocally that per their records at the Ministry, the Parks and Gardens land in Cantonments is firmly under the ownership of his ministry and that no portion has been sold.
The Local Government Minister added in Parliament that Dani Ike has not been able to produce a valid title to the land.
Indeed, the Local Government Minister promised Parliament that he will take steps to remove the containers of the private developer, Dani Ike Real Estate Developers from the Parks and Gardens land — the Minister has since done exactly that — clearly keeping his promise to Parliament.
I issued a statement commending the Local Government Minister after my tour of the Parks and Gardens land confirmed that the Minister has removed the containers.
It seems to me that there are two extremely different versions from two Ministers of State on the same piece of land. It is obviously impossible for both Ministers to be right.
Curiously, the Lands Minister’s narrative cleverly omits the 2021 attempt by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government to construct a 5-storey office complex for the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development on that same piece of land belonging to the Department of Parks and Gardens.
This decision was vehemently opposed by environmentalists and the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority (LUPSA) in a letter dated July 19, 2021 and signed by LUPSA Acting Head, Kwadwo Yeboah (see intercepted letter attached).
LUPSA from the letter declined to approve the request for variation of certificate of allocation from the Municipal Chief Executive of the La-Dadekotopon Municipal Assembly.
Following the LUPSA letter and considerable public agitation in 2021, the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government abandoned the attempt to construct an office complex for the Local Government Ministry on the Parks and Gardens land in Cantonments.
So the logical question that arises: if the land had been sold in 2016, how come it was available in 2021 for government to contemplate constructing government offices on that same piece of land?
W. E. B. Dubois Centre
My unimpeachable parliamentary oversight led to the discovery of a 50-year agreement with the title: Agreement Between Government of Ghana Represented by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and The W. E. B. Du Bois Museum Foundation, Ghana for the Finance, Management and Transfer of the W. E. B. Du Bois Centre.’
The 46-page transfer agreement was signed on the 22nd of September, 2023 by Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration and Godfred Yeboah Dame, Attorney General and Minister for Justice— they both signed on behalf of the Government of Ghana.
See attached a copy of this agreement.
I am also attaching a letter from the President’s office showing communication between the President and the privately owned Du Bois Foundation at the receiving end of the 50-year transfer. Significantly, the letter confirms the President’s participation at an upcoming August 27, 2024 sod cutting ceremony.
Additionally, I am publishing a July 8, 2024 letter signed by the Chief Director of the Ministry of Trade, Arts and Culture confirming the existence of the 50-year agreement.
I will generously advise the Lands Minister to check with the President and his colleague Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Attorney General and Tourism what the new plan for the Du Bois Centre is. They may even be kind to add that David Adjaye has already received his US$2.5million payment for his redesigning of the centre.
Judicial Service Land
The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources own narrative contained at paragraphs 25 to 27 are most instructive:
Paragraph 25: By a letter dated 27th June 2017, the Office of the President directed the Lands Commission to withdraw the lease executed in favour of Frimps Oil Co Ltd, together with twenty-three (23) other leases.
Paragraph 26: Subsequently, on 22nd September, 2017, the then Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. John Peter Amewu, constituted a Committee to investigate issues pertaining to the Accra Redevelopment Scheme.
Paragraph 27: Following the submission of the Committee’s Report, the then Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, by a letter dated 28th December, 2017, directed that the lease granted to Frimps Oil Co. Ltd. in the year 2015, together with seven (7) other leases that had been cancelled pursuant to the directive of the Office of the President, be restored, and the lease was accordingly restored.
From the highlighted paragraphs, the Lands Commission on the instruction of President Akufo-Addo on June 27, 2017 withdrew the lease for Frimps Oil and 23 others.
Strangely, on December 28, 2017, the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government restored the lease for Frimps Oil and 7 others (not the entire 23).
Granted that the Lands Minister’s strenuous effort to equalize are grounded, the current government had every authority and opportunity not to restore the lease, particularly as they did not restore all the initial 28 leases and restored only 8.
It is imperative to note that the demolition of the judges bungalows happened under this government.
It is also under this government that the private developers defied a court injunction of 28th November, 2023 and proceeded to demolish the final set of bungalows.
Ghana Prisons Service Land at Roman Ridge
It is quite curious and somewhat dishonest that the Lands Minister will describe his colleague in government and a Senior Advisor to Vice President Bawumia as ‘one Prof. Appiah-Adu.’
For the record, I have always stated that Prof. Appiah-Adu claims to have purchased the Roman Ridge land during President Kufuor’s era in 2005.
The period of purchase cannot legitimize the brazen efforts to encroach land the Ghana Prisons Service hierarchy strongly affirm belongs to the Service.
Here too, the Minister for the Interior was in Parliament on July 5, 2024 to respond to my urgent questions where he confirmed my impeccable oversight findings and assured Parliament that his Ministry would support the appeal filed by the Ghana Prisons Service as they do not agree with the claims of Bawumia’s Senior Advisor.
It is quite disappointing that the Lands Minister failed to acknowledge in his statement that the Ghana Prisons Service has filed an appeal against the earlier decision in favour of Prof. Appiah-Adu.
Conclusion
We see the destructive impact of State Capture all around us on a daily basis.
Only yesterday, occupants of the Roman Ridge Flats who are all long serving distinguished public servants were informed at a meeting chaired by the Chief Director of the Ministry of Works and Housing that they have to prepare to move out because their flats have been affected by the ongoing grossly abused Accra redevelopment policy.
Unfortunately for the Minister of Lands, long press statements with a skewed selective focus, pious grandstanding, and an unpatriotic effort aimed at imaginary partisan equalization cannot change the minds of the Ghanaian people when they can all see unprecedented naked State Capture in motion.
I need not remind the Minister of his colleague who willed parts of our treasured Achimota Forest and Ramsar Site to his nephew forever.
We can assure Minister Abu Jinapor, just as we defeated State Capture, and took back our SSNIT hotels a few days ago, so shall we defeat State Capture under his watch and repossess all our looted lands on the day of reckoning.
For God and Country.
Ghana First
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