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North Tongu lawmaker Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has disclosed the names of government officials involved in purchasing state lands, including Joseph Boahen Aidoo, CEO of the Ghana Cocoa Board.
In a post on his X platform, he remarked, “It is also not surprising that the NPP’s recently launched manifesto was totally silent on measures to deal with State Capture and the unscrupulous crony sale of state assets.” He added that these new revelations could further damage the credibility of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia administration, which has consistently claimed that public lands are secure and not being sold.
Ablakwa stated, “Fresh interceptions as part of my ongoing special parliamentary oversight on State Capture reveal that the canker is deeper and more widespread than initially thought.” He emphasized that the recent findings highlight why the government refuses to publish a comprehensive list of public land sales, despite a three-year struggle in Parliament to obtain this information.
He criticized the NPP’s manifesto for its silence on the issue, asserting, “The latest revelations are bound to create further credibility crisis for the deceptive Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government.”
Ablakwa shared a list of notable figures alleged to have purchased prime lands from President Akufo-Addo, including:
– Kate Gyamfua (NPP Women’s Organiser) — Purchased on August 31, 2022
– Ibrahim Mohammed Awal (Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture at the time) — Purchased on November 30, 2020
– Dr. Ernest Yedu Addison (Governor, Bank of Ghana) — Purchased on August 31, 2022
– Elsie Addo Awadzi (Deputy Governor, Bank of Ghana) — Purchased on August 27, 2020
– Maxwell Opoku-Afari (Deputy Governor, Bank of Ghana) — Purchased on August 31, 2022
– Joseph Boahen Aidoo (CEO, COCOBOD) — Purchased on October 30, 2020
– Dr. Janet Ampadu Fofie (Chairperson, Presidential Emoluments Committee) — Purchased on June 29, 2022
– Kwabena Mantey Jectey Nyarko (Board Member, Ghana Airport Company Limited) — Purchased on October 22, 2022
– Anselm Ransford Adzete Sowah (Ghana’s High Commissioner to Canada) — Purchased on October 14, 2020
– Anna Asare Oduro (Former NPP Women’s Organiser, Holland Chapter) — Purchased on February 25, 2021
He vowed to continue revealing details of what he described as the “unconscionable and opaque land grab” by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government until they fulfill the public’s demand for accountability by publishing the complete and unredacted data on land sales and the true status of public lands. “After all, these lands belong to the Ghanaian people,” he stated.
Ablakwa expressed his support for the ongoing progress of a Private Member’s Bill aimed at banning politicians, politically exposed persons, and other high-ranking public officials from acquiring state assets. “Watch out for Part 2,” he added, closing with “For God and Country. Ghana First ”