SSNIT-Rock City deal: Completely halt ongoing transaction to sell stake in hotels – Ablakwa tells Akufo-Addo

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a convener for the upcoming ‘Hands Off Our Hotels’ demonstration, has urged President Akufo-Addo to immediately stop the ongoing sale of a 60% stake in six hotels owned by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) to Rock City Group.

The lawmaker for North Tongu constituency is one of the organizers of the demonstration, which is scheduled to take place on Tuesday June 17, 2024, in Accra.

The announcement of the sale sparked a petition from MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), requesting an investigation into the sale, particularly involving the Minister of State and Member of Parliament.

The hotels involved are Labadi Beach Hotel, La Palm Royal Beach Resort, Elmina Beach Resort, Ridge Royal Hotel, Busua Beach Resort, and Trust Lodge Hotel.

Ablakwa contends that selling state properties to government officials is unjustified and an abuse of power.

“We insist that President Akufo-Addo must immediately stop the sale of our SSNIT hotels. We want an immediate declaration from the president because since we started, all he has done is tell Organised Labour to go and meet the Employment Minister at which meeting, Organised Labour told us that they tried to convince them to allow the sale, so clearly, the president and his appointees don’t want to stop the sale, and we are going to insist that they back out," the MP said during a press briefing.

“We are also demanding that state assets should no longer be sold, particularly the profitable ones,” he added.

The ‘Hands Off Our Hotels’ demonstration is expected to include members of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), lawmakers, and other members of the public to emphasize their opposition to the sale of the hotels, which are state-owned.

The Public Relations Officer of the TUC, Naa Ayele Ardayfio Sekyere, confirmed that members of the congress will participate in the protest as a national initiative.

“This is a national call, and it is exciting that our MPs are leading this. Let’s look at it, how is it that every now and again, we have issues with SSNIT? You can’t do the same thing so many times and expect different results; we are just not making progress as far as SSNIT is concerned.

“This is a national call for us, and we must all be interested because I don’t want to work for over 40 years and go on retirement as a pauper, so this is a call for all of us. Not just Hands Off Our Hotels, but all those lands that are being sold,” the TUC PRO stated.

MA/NOQ

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