Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has raised alarming concerns about what he describes as the ongoing and real state capture of public lands in Ghana.
Addressing the media in Parliament on Thursday, August 15, Ablakwa criticized the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government’s handling of public lands, challenging recent assurances made by the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor.
In a detailed press briefing, Ablakwa accused the government of deliberately withholding crucial information about the status of public lands in the country.
Ablakwa argued that every instance of state capture he has cited is backed by undeniable facts.
“The evidence is incontrovertible, it is irrefutable. And indeed, the massive land grab which is happening all over the country, we see it daily,” he emphasized.
Ablakwa’s remarks came in direct response to a recent press conference by the Lands Minister, who assured the public that all state lands are “safe, secure, and protected.”
However, the North Tongu MP challenged these claims, accusing the government of failing to disclose the complete list of public lands and the details of any sales or allocations.
He said, “When we heard that the Lands Minister was going to address a press conference yesterday, we thought he was going to publish this list. You will recall that for more than two years, we on the NDC side of the house have consistently demanded the full publication of all public lands.”
Ablakwa condemned the government’s refusal to produce a comprehensive list of public lands, suggesting that this omission is deliberate.
“We have come to the firm conclusion, and a very informed one, that the Akufo-Addo Bawumia government is deliberately refusing to disclose the status of all public lands in our country because they are complicit,” he argued.
Citing Article 257 of the Constitution, which mandates that all public lands be held in trust by the President on behalf of the people, Ablakwa asserted that the government’s evasion is a breach of this trust.
According to him, it shows that the Lands Ministry and the Lands Commission have been derelict and have not properly carried out their constitutional mandate adding, “But even worse, they are complicit, and that is why they are evading accountability.”
Ablakwa also referenced the findings of Justice Kwesi E. Ofori-Atta-led Sole Inquiry into the demolition of the Bulgarian Embassy, which revealed that government lands were being registered as private lands.
“Can you believe that? So as the government keeps stonewalling and refusing to disclose the full public lands that we have, look at the revelation contained in the Ofori-Atta report on the state of lands in our country that a lot of these government lands are being sold as private lands,” Ablakwa expressed grave concern.
He lamented that proceeds from these illegal sales are not benefiting the national coffers.
“We are losing on all fronts, so these lands are being sold, they have been registered as private lands, and we are not getting the proceeds. Individuals, miscreants in the system, collaborating with unscrupulous elements in government, are selling public lands as private lands and they are pocketing the money,” he declared.
The North Tongu MP renewed his demand for the government to provide a full disclosure of all public lands by the end of the year.
He criticized the President’s recent directive to halt the sale of public lands without his knowledge, calling it an insufficient response to the ongoing crisis and an affirmation that indeed state lands are being pawned off by officials of the Akufo-Addo government.
“The president’s latest directive does not give us hope. It doesn’t give us any succor. It does not address the issue,” Ablakwa said, stressing the urgency of protecting public lands for future generations.