The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has reacted to a statement issued by the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, asserting that some state lands that he (Ablakwa) said were sold by the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government were rather sold by the John Dramani Mahama administration.

In a post shared on X, on Tuesday, July 17, 2024, Ablakwa said that the minister's claim that the lands of the Department of Parks and Gardens in Wa and Cantonments were sold by the Mahama government is false.

He said that the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Martin Adjei Mensah-Korsah, while answering his urgent questions on the said lands on the floor of parliament, indicated that they belong to the state and would be reclaimed, so they could not have been sold during Mahama's era.

On the Parks and Gardens land in Wa, Ablakwa wrote, “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.”

On the Parks and Gardens land in Cantonments, the MP said that the Minister for Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development stated that records at the ministry show that the land belongs to the state and no part of it has been sold.

He added that the minister told parliament that Dani Ike, the private developer the land has supposedly been sold to, has not been able to produce a valid title.

“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,” he said.

The MP also indicated that the minister, in his statement, deliberately did not touch on some of the state assets the Akufo-Addo government has sold to its cronies, including the 62.14 acres of prime land belonging to the Ghana Airports Company Limited to Heaven Builders Limited and the portions of Ghana Prisons Service barracks land located near the Danquah Circle roundabout, Osu, which has been handed over to a private developer.

He also shared documents which showed agreements between the current government and private entities on the sale of some of the state assets in his exposé.

What the Lands Minister said:

Abu Jinapor, in a statement issued on July 16, 2024, refuted allegations made by the North Tongu legislator claiming that the current government is selling state lands to its cronies.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the land occupied by the Du Bois Centre, the subject matter of the Member of Parliament's allegations, has neither been sold nor leased to any private entity.

“From the foregoing, it is clear that the lands, the subject matter of the Member of Parliament's allegations, were not sold and/or leased under the current administration, and the allegations of state capture are, therefore, false,” an excerpt of the statement said.

The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources wishes to assure the general public that the Government of Ghana is committed to efficient and effective land administration, anchored on the highest standards of integrity.

“President Akufo-Addo is committed to an efficient and effective land administration that is anchored on the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and candour, in the public interest.

“The ministry will, therefore, continue to work with all stakeholders to deliver an effective, transparent, responsive, and orderly land administration which is above board and steeped in integrity,” the statement concluded.

View Ablakwa's full post plus the documents he shared 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… pic.twitter.com/sRdXXtWwWH

— Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa (@S_OkudzetoAblak) July 17, 2024