-Says Looting of state lands unethical

Source: Daily Democrat

Nana Akufo-Addo, the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) defeated presidential candidate
for 2008 and newly elected 2012 presidential candidate has blown the lid off his
party’s looting and sharing of government lands at prime areas in Accra and
Kumasi.

NPP’s looting of state lands led by former president Kufuor has attracted a lot
of debate and condemnation from the good people of Ghana and civil society
groups who are urging government to take back the stolen lands from the greedy
politicians and their cronies for the lands to be used for the intended purpose
of increasing the housing density of these areas to accommodate civil servants,
the police, nurses, teachers, doctors and other government officials.
Fearing that the land looting will become a major campaign issue during the 2012
elections and likely to jeopardize Nana Akufo-Addo’s fortune, his camp has
chosen the safe path by admitting that there were wrongdoings and abuse
under President Kufuor in sharing the state lands particularly the
international students’ hostel plots.

According to Gabby Otchere Darko, former editor of the defunct statesman
newspaper and a cousin to Nana, the presidential candidate of the NPP rejected
the offer because he thought it was unethical for government officials to
allocate to themselves state lands which have been entrusted in their care.
He revealed that a call came from castle offering Nana a parcel of land at the
International Hostels Area plot even though he did not applied for any state
land.

The Chief Justice, Madam Georgina Wood had earlier confessed that she was also
offered a plot at the same place through a phone call from the Castle.

The confession by Nana Addo that he rejected the land is an admission that the
whole allocations were illegal considering the fact that he has once been the
legal adviser to President Kufuor in his capacity as attorney general and
minister of justice who understands the legal implications of unlawful
acquisition of state lands.
Political analysts are also interpreting Nana’s action to tell the truth about
how the allocations were done as a tactical move to nail Kufuor and render him
politically impotent, tagging him as corrupt.

It is alleged that president Kufour played a pivotal role in sharing the
international hostels land booty because the offer was meant for a thank you
present. The Castle then established a direct contact with ‘lucky ones’ through
phone calls.
Among the list are Mrs, Georgina Wood, Chief Justice, Freddie Worsemau Blay,
former deputy speaker of parliament and owner of the DAILY GUIDE,K.T Hamound, MP
For Adansi Asokwa, Akwasi Osei Adjei, former minister for foreign affairs,
Oboshie Sai Coffie, Irene Addo and others.
President Kufuor betrays the trust of Ghanaians by allocating state lands to
cronies without recourse to laid down procedures under the Directive Principles
of State Policy

Under the policy, all citizens must strive to implement any policy decisions
for the establishment of a just and free society. The State shall protect and
safeguard the independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ghana, and shall
seek the well-being of all her citizens.The State shall promote just and
reasonable access by all citizens to public facilities and services in
accordance with law. The State shall endeavor to secure and protect a social
order founded on the ideals and principles of freedom, equality, justice,
probity and accountability as enshrined in the Constitution by directing its
policy towards ensuring that every citizen has equality of rights, obligations
and opportunities before the law.
1n 1992, the Town and Country Planning Department with the support of the
United Nations Commissions for Human Settlement (Habitat), prepared a
five-volumes report on a Strategic Plan for the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area.
The Hon. Minister for Local Government at the time subsequently submitted a
memorandum on the Report to Cabinet for approval.

The Town and Country Planning Department, based on the 1992 Accra Strategic
Plan, prepared detailed Redevelopment Schemes for the identified areas in Kanda,
Switchback, Ridge, Cantonment and Airport Residential Areas. The schemes
received Statutory Approval in 1995 for implementation.
In the Scheme, a total of about 159 run down bungalows and flats in Cantonment,
Airport, Kanda and Switchback Residential Areas were identified. Each was
occupying an average of 1.2 acres of land required over fifty million old cedis
(¢50,000,000.00) at the time to rehabilitate, while the occupants (civil/public
servants) could not even maintain the huge grounds.
Prior to the main redevelopment scheme, the Ministry of Local Government through
the Town and Country Planning Department, the Ministry of Works and Housing,
SSINT and the Lands Commission had implemented the Cantonments Pilot
Redevelopment Scheme to demonstrate the feasibility of the redevelopment
approach. In that scheme, nine run down bungalows were demolished and a total of
67 houses built in their place. These were sold by SSINT to the general public.
The general objective underling the redevelopment concept is the renewal of the
old run-down neighbourhoods by demolishing some of these which were often
located in the centre of huge plots; construct as many new houses as the plot
can take at virtually no additional infrastructural cost. In the process the old
Government bungalows that would be demolished would be replaced by new ones and
substantially improved the physical environment. It was also to reduce
government expenditure on infrastructure and services to newly developing
areas.

Some benefits to be derived were that the redevelopment scheme achieved higher
and optimum densities in these prime areas; ensured more efficient utilization
of existing infrastructure; had a positive impact on the continuous sprawl of
Accra;

It also provided government with new bungalows and flats; (income generated
from the sale of the old bungalows were used to construct as many as possible ,
new bungalows to house the sitting tenants and additional government officials
in virtually the same neighbourhood);
Released the latest values in the land to provide income for government. A
valuation of bungalows and their associated plots done in 1995 showed the
average cost of a bungalow at Thirty Million Cedis ( 30,000,000,00) and the plot
it occupied as Two Hundred Million Cedis ( 200, 000,000 .00).