Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
Documentary evidence from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Lands Commission indicates that the State lands in Accra which the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, is alleging have been sold by the appointees of the Akufo-Addo Government were rather sold to private investors when former President John Mahama was in office.
The sales requests, negotiations and agreements were carried out by Mahama appointees.
In recent times, Okudzeto Ablakwa has been very vocal in inciting the traditional authorities and people of the Greater Accra Region to rise up against the Akufo-Addo Government on allegations that his appointees have sold government reserved lands to cronies, tagging it as ‘state capture.’
He mentioned a portion of the lands reserved for the Parks and Gardens Department in Cantonments, Accra and other state lands in prime areas.
However, verifiable documents from the Ministry of Lands, Lands Commission and other state agencies all prove that the said lands in question belonging to Parks and Gardens were actually given out to a private developer on 29th November, 2016, when John Mahama was President.
According to Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, the purchase and sale agreements for the lease of the said lands belonging to the Department of Parks and Gardens commenced on 16th August, 2012, when the then Deputy Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, on behalf of his Minister, wrote to the Chairman of the Greater Accra Regional Lands Commission, requesting to sell two (2) acres of the Parks and Gardens land to enable it raise funding for office complex.
Another supposed example of State land captured by appointees of President Akufo-Addo which Okudzeto Ablakwa claimed was sold to friends is the one at the 5th Circular Road, Cantonments- Accra and occupied by judges from the Judicial Service.
Okudzeto Ablakwa has consistently mentioned this particular piece of land and incited some public hate against the Government, whereas documentary evidence shows that on 2nd June, 2015, the then Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Nii Osah Mills, under a John Mahama Presidency, granted approval for the land in question to be granted to Frimps Oil Company Ltd.
Frimps Oil, by a letter dated 6th June, 2015 accepted the offer, and on 13th July, 2015, a lease was executed over the land in favour of Frimps Oil Co. Ltd for a term of fifty (50) years.
Interestingly, when the Nana Akufo-Addo Government, through 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, together with twenty-three (23) other leases.
Subsequently, on 22nd September, 2017, the then Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, John Peter Amewu, constituted a Committee to investigate issues pertaining to the Accra Redevelopment Scheme.
Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor has issued a statement which gives a detailed chronology about the history of the said lands in question.
Please find the full statement:
