The sages say the comment is free but facts are sacred and facts backed by documentary evidence from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Lands Commission prove that the State-owned lands in Accra which the Member of Parliament for North Tongu Constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, is alleging have been sold by appointees of the Nana Akufo-Addo led Government were rather sold to private investors when former President John Mahama was in office and the sales requests, negotiations, and agreements were carried out by his appointees and men.
Mr. Ablakwa has been very vocal in inciting the traditional authorities and people of the Greater Accra Region to rise up against the Nana Akufo-Addo Government on allegations that New Patriotic Party (NPP) appointees have sold a portion of the lands reserved for the Parks and Gardens Department in Cantonments Accra and grabbing other state lands in Accra.
Meanwhile, verifiable documents from the Ministry of Lands, Lands Commission, and other state agencies all prove that the said land belonging to Parks and Gardens was given out to a private developer on 29th November 2016, when John Mahama was President.
Indeed the purchase and sale agreements for the lease of the said lands that belonged 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 the then Minister, wrote to the then Chairman of the Greater Accra Regional Lands Commission, requesting to sell two (2) acres of the Park and Gardens land to enable it raise funding.
Another supposed example of State lands captured by appointees of President Akufo-Addo and sold to friends is the one at the 5th Circular Road, Cantonments- Accra, and occupied by the Judicial Service.
Mr. Ablakwa has consistently mentioned this particular piece of land and incited some public hate against the Government of the day whereas documentary evidence shows that on 2nd June 2015, the then Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Nii Osah Mills, under a John Mahama Presidency, approved 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 Co Ltd, together with twenty-three (23) other leases.
Subsequently, on 22nd September 2017, the then Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. John Peter Amewu, constituted a Committee to investigate issues about the Accra Redevelopment Scheme.
Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor has issued a statement that gives a detailed chronology about the history of the said lands in question.
Please find the full statement: