Govt not selling state lands – Lands Minister denies allegation
The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has firmly denied allegations that the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia administration is selling state lands to cronies.
In a press briefing on Wednesday, August 14, Samuel Abu Jinapor, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, addressed the accusations, expressing astonishment at the claims surrounding the disposal of public lands, labelling them as surprising.
Referring to some of the disputed properties, such as a parcel of land at Cantonment and the W.E.B. DuBois Centre, Jinapor clarified that these lands were not sold under the current NPP government.
According to him, it was perplexing for people who sold those state lands to turn around and accuse President Akufo-Addo of state capture in light of this information.
“There are allegations that this government has sold some bungalows belonging to the Judiciary Service at Cantonment to a private developer. These bungalows in question were sold as far back as July 13, 2015, to a company named Frimps Oil Company Limited following an approval granted by the then Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Nii Osah Mills, on June 2, 2015.
“Is it therefore not surprising that the very people who supervised the sale of this property to Frimps Oil Company Limited will turn around and accuse the Akufo-Addo government of state capture.
“For the W.E.B. DuBois Centre, as we have explained in our press release of July 16, 2024, the Lands Commission, the manager of Public Lands and Repository of Records of Lands Transactions has no pending application for the transfer of this land and for the avoidance of doubt, the land in question as we speak, remains in the name of the Dubois Centre.”
“The above examples clearly show that allegations of state capture and the narrative that this government is indiscriminately selling public lands are palpably false without merit and obviously actuated by political considerations given the heated political season we find ourselves.
“The Akufo-Addo has been meticulous in protecting public lands in the public interest,” the Lands Minister added.