Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has vowed to publish names of government officials who allegedly benefited from the share of profits from state lands sold under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.
Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa’s decision is in response to the Lands Minister, Samuel Jinapor’s rejection of the allegation of land grabbing and sale of state lands under the NPP administration.
According to him, most of the lands in question were handed to private individuals to develop in the interest of the state.
“The allegations of state capture and the narrative that this government is indiscriminately selling public lands, are all palpably false, without merit, and, obviously, actuated by political considerations given that we are nearing elections,” Lands Minister said.
In response, Mr Ablawa challenged the Lands Minister’s position, accusing the government of being complicit in the act.
“We have come to the firm conclusion that the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government is deliberately refusing to disclose the status of all public lands in our country because they are complicit. They know that when the full facts emerge, they will be exposed for the massive land grabs and unquestionable state capture they have engaged in,” he said.
He threatened to expose the government on the matter should the minister dare him by failing to produce the data on all state lands.
He said government “under the guise of we are returning lands to stools, individuals, government takes a share of state lands.”
“We are revealing today and we are aware that government always takes a percentage of the land and then shares surreptitiously. If they dare us, we will publish in full the percentage they had in the Kumasi transfer and the people who are now beneficiaries,” he said.
He added “The Accra transfer – La Wireless lands, the 12 per cent that they took and the people they have sold it to. We dare the Lands Minister that he should attempt again to rope the NDC into their filthy state capture and the exposure we will make, it would be difficult for them to stay in this country.”
He said he knows about the government’s shenanigans, urging them to put a stop to the sale of state lands and preserve what is left if there is any.
Source: myjoyonline.com
