“There Was No Specific Issue About Otumfuo’s Acquisition Of Lands”; Minority Clarifies
The Member of Parliament for Wa Central Constituency and a ranking member of the Lands Committee of Parliament, Dr. Richard Pelpuo has refuted the claims that the Minority is against the release of some state lands by the government to the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II on behalf of and trust for the subjects of the Golden Stool.
According to the MP, there was no specific mention of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II’s acquisition of state lands during their press conference as reported by some newspapers today, 6th June 2022.
“On the particular day we met the press, we were explaining to them our reason for inviting the Minister of Lands to Parliament to answer questions on specific issues, the key issue was about the Achimota forest, and some other lands acquire in some regions of Ghana, and then there was a question as to which other regions and we mentioned, Northern, Upper West, Ashanti, Volta Region, and others”.
“There was no specific issue about Otumfuo’s acquisition of lands, if there were, I will just say there was because this is the minority position but there are other issues that came up to us, and we mentioned them alongside Ashanti region”, the MP said.
In an interview with George Opoku Mensah, Agudey, on Opemsuo Radio’s Nkwantananso Show today, the MP said that the newspapers publications associated their statement regarding state lands in the Ashanti Region with the reported news of Otumfuo’s acquisition of some Kumasi lands from the government.
“These papers may have gone further to infer that, you know when we talk about Ashanti we will be talking about Otumfuo’s lands”.
He added that the minority was generalizing state lands in other regions which the Nana Addo-led government is said to have been giving it out to his appointees and party members to the detriment of the general populace.
“But the minority position was that there are other lands acquired from other regions plus the Achimota Forest and we are worried about the acquisition of lands by government giving out to people in suspicious nature and that lands in Ghana are getting lost because of this five years reign of a government that is already failing and can’t account for the expenditure they have talked about on yearly basis”.
“Now they have finished and spending so much to the distaste of Ghanaians and have gone on to take lands that belong to the nation, headed by the President of Ghana and they are worried about it and we want the minister to come forward and answer questions before us, the committee on why this prolific acquisition of lands everywhere else in Ghana”, he continued.
Background
A letter released from the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council on 18th May 2022, sighted by Opemsuo.com published how the government of Ghana has released over 400 acres of state lands at Ridge Residential Area in Kumasi to the Asantehene “on behalf of and trust for the subjects of the Golden Stool”.
The letter cites the issuance of “Executive Instrument 432 of 2021 by Government in respect of Redevelopment of Sector 18 of Kumasi, which was published in the Ghana Gazette on 31st December 2021.”
“The released portion with an area of 409.24 acres spans from the North-Western Section of the Military barracks near Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. The site is along the Bekwai road as its Western Boundary to the Santasi Round About, with the Southern By-Pass as the Southern Boundary. The land also lies towards Dakwodwom to the KCC/State Experimental School, along the Danyame Stream to the north, with the Cedar Road as the Eastern Boundary,” the directive said”.
Source: Opemsuo.com/ Emmanuel Owusu Anti
