I Know NDC Gurus Who Own State Lands; Stop This Hypocrisy!! – Fmr. Defence Minister To Mahama
Former Defence Minister and MP for Bimbilla, Dominic Nitiwul has hit hard at the National Democratic Congress (NDC) calling out the party’s hypocritical and double standards over ownership of State lands.
The NDC, through its Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL), has accused some members of the erstwhile Akufo-Addo government of grabbing State lands and have vowed to expose and retrieve the lands.
Discussing the issue on Asempa FM, Nitiwul disclosed that grabbing of State lands was started by the NDC, adding he knows a number of NDC stalwarts who own lands belonging to the State.
“The idea of disposing off State lands started under Jerry Rawlings. This was not happening in Ghana but it started in 1996 or 1998 by the NDC under Jerry Rawlings.”
“They were calling it infilling. The colonial masters used to put up small buildings on one acre of land, so the idea was to give these unused portions of lands to developers to build houses on it in places like Cantonment.
“The entire Cantonment was State land. From Cantonment to 37, airport, Kanda and where Jubilee House is now. They were all State lands.”
“So this started under Rawlings. In West Airport, East Airport, East Legon, West Lands etc., the Rawlings regime released all these lands. Nobody criminalized it”, he revealed.
Mr. Nitiwul continued; “The Kufuor government came and continued but if you remember when Kufuor was leaving, the NDC made so much noise of grabbing of State land. But I can tell you that if you look at the history of Ghana from Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, it is the NDC that has released and grabbed more State lands than any government.”
“The Rawlings government started it and all subsequent governments including the Akufo-Addo government continued. They all continued the infilling and then NDC comes and talks about stealing.”
Further pointing out the NDC’s hypocrisy, the former Minister stressed; “…if the NDC say owning state land is stealing, I say let us go to Borteyman and see who own land at Borteyman.”
“Borteyman is State land and that’s where Kufuor built the affordable housing. The land that was left was shared during Mahama’s time. They shared the land and some of their MPs got some. MPs from both sides, particularly those who were then in government under the Mahama regime got some of the lands. Big people and some of them are still in Parliament.”
“I know the place and I can show you everybody’s land. I was offered two plots as Deputy Leader but I didn’t take.”
“Again if you go to Tamale, the place called residence, the land there all is State land. The land was acquired for the residency but today go and find out the people who are there. They are all politically exposed persons. Even the house that the President sometimes sleeps in in Tamale is on State land.”
He therefore blasted the ruling party saying “they should stop this hypocrisy of creating a picture that a particular group is stealing State lands”.
Source: Ghmessenger.com
