Akufo-Addo Renders Kufuor Impotent

-Says Looting of state lands unethical

Source: Daily Democrat

Nana Akufo-Addo, the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) defeated presidential candidate

for 2008 and newly elected 2012 presidential candidate has blown the lid off his

party’s looting and sharing of government lands at prime areas in Accra and

Kumasi.

NPP’s looting of state lands led by former president Kufuor has attracted a lot

of debate and condemnation from the good people of Ghana and civil society

groups who are urging government to take back the stolen lands from the greedy

politicians and their cronies for the lands to be used for the intended purpose

of increasing the housing density of these areas to accommodate civil servants,

the police, nurses, teachers, doctors and other government officials.

Fearing that the land looting will become a major campaign issue during the 2012

elections and likely to jeopardize Nana Akufo-Addo’s fortune, his camp has

chosen the safe path by admitting that there were wrongdoings and abuse

under President Kufuor in sharing the state lands particularly the

international students’ hostel plots.

According to Gabby Otchere Darko, former editor of the defunct statesman

newspaper and a cousin to Nana, the presidential candidate of the NPP rejected

the offer because he thought it was unethical for government officials to

allocate to themselves state lands which have been entrusted in their care.

He revealed that a call came from castle offering Nana a parcel of land at the

International Hostels Area plot even though he did not applied for any state

land.

The Chief Justice, Madam Georgina Wood had earlier confessed that she was also

offered a plot at the same place through a phone call from the Castle.

The confession by Nana Addo that he rejected the land is an admission that the

whole allocations were illegal considering the fact that he has once been the

legal adviser to President Kufuor in his capacity as attorney general and

minister of justice who understands the legal implications of unlawful

acquisition of state lands.

Political analysts are also interpreting Nana’s action to tell the truth about

how the allocations were done as a tactical move to nail Kufuor and render him

politically impotent, tagging him as corrupt.

It is alleged that president Kufour played a pivotal role in sharing the

international hostels land booty because the offer was meant for a thank you

present. The Castle then established a direct contact with ‘lucky ones’ through

phone calls.

Among the list are Mrs, Georgina Wood, Chief Justice, Freddie Worsemau Blay,

former deputy speaker of parliament and owner of the DAILY GUIDE,K.T Hamound, MP

For Adansi Asokwa, Akwasi Osei Adjei, former minister for foreign affairs,

Oboshie Sai Coffie, Irene Addo and others.

President Kufuor betrays the trust of Ghanaians by allocating state lands to

cronies without recourse to laid down procedures under the Directive Principles

of State Policy

Under the policy, all citizens must strive to implement any policy decisions

for the establishment of a just and free society. The State shall protect and

safeguard the independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ghana, and shall

seek the well-being of all her citizens.The State shall promote just and

reasonable access by all citizens to public facilities and services in

accordance with law. The State shall endeavor to secure and protect a social

order founded on the ideals and principles of freedom, equality, justice,

probity and accountability as enshrined in the Constitution by directing its

policy towards ensuring that every citizen has equality of rights, obligations

and opportunities before the law.

1n 1992, the Town and Country Planning Department with the support of the

United Nations Commissions for Human Settlement (Habitat), prepared a

five-volumes report on a Strategic Plan for the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area.

The Hon. Minister for Local Government at the time subsequently submitted a

memorandum on the Report to Cabinet for approval.

The Town and Country Planning Department, based on the 1992 Accra Strategic

Plan, prepared detailed Redevelopment Schemes for the identified areas in Kanda,

Switchback, Ridge, Cantonment and Airport Residential Areas. The schemes

received Statutory Approval in 1995 for implementation.

In the Scheme, a total of about 159 run down bungalows and flats in Cantonment,

Airport, Kanda and Switchback Residential Areas were identified. Each was

occupying an average of 1.2 acres of land required over fifty million old cedis

(¢50,000,000.00) at the time to rehabilitate, while the occupants (civil/public

servants) could not even maintain the huge grounds.

Prior to the main redevelopment scheme, the Ministry of Local Government through

the Town and Country Planning Department, the Ministry of Works and Housing,

SSINT and the Lands Commission had implemented the Cantonments Pilot

Redevelopment Scheme to demonstrate the feasibility of the redevelopment

approach. In that scheme, nine run down bungalows were demolished and a total of

67 houses built in their place. These were sold by SSINT to the general public.

The general objective underling the redevelopment concept is the renewal of the

old run-down neighbourhoods by demolishing some of these which were often

located in the centre of huge plots; construct as many new houses as the plot

can take at virtually no additional infrastructural cost. In the process the old

Government bungalows that would be demolished would be replaced by new ones and

substantially improved the physical environment. It was also to reduce

government expenditure on infrastructure and services to newly developing

areas.

Some benefits to be derived were that the redevelopment scheme achieved higher

and optimum densities in these prime areas; ensured more efficient utilization

of existing infrastructure; had a positive impact on the continuous sprawl of

Accra;

It also provided government with new bungalows and flats; (income generated

from the sale of the old bungalows were used to construct as many as possible ,

new bungalows to house the sitting tenants and additional government officials

in virtually the same neighbourhood);

Released the latest values in the land to provide income for government. A

valuation of bungalows and their associated plots done in 1995 showed the

average cost of a bungalow at Thirty Million Cedis ( 30,000,000,00) and the plot

it occupied as Two Hundred Million Cedis ( 200, 000,000 .00).