Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, is set to lead a protest today against the sale of a 60 percent stake in four hotels owned by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) to Rock City Hotel, a company owned by Food and Agriculture Minister Bryan Acheampong.
The process that led to the selection of Rock City Hotel as the buyer has been questioned by Ablakwa, Organised Labour, and other stakeholders. In an interview with Citi News, Ablakwa explained that the protest aims to compel the government to halt the sale.
“If honourable Bryan Acheampong has the expertise and capacity to turn hotels around, he is sitting in cabinet, why doesn’t he bring that to bear so that we can turn these hotels around if indeed they [need] turning around for it to benefit all of us?” Ablakwa questioned. “Why is it that he will only bring his expertise to bear when he has bought it, when he now has controlling shares of 60 percent, [and] he stands to benefit directly as the sole shareholder of Rock City? I mean, how can you explain this? So what is he doing in the cabinet? Why are we paying him?”
Ablakwa further described the transaction as a blatant example of state capture by government appointees. “It is clear that this is all about state capture, and that is why all of us must rise up. If the numbers are massive, and I have no doubt that we are going to have a massive turnout, we will send a very clear message to the president that enough of the state capture.”
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