North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has criticised Minister of Lands and Natural Resources Samuel Abu Jinapor for failing to publish a list of all state-owned lands and persons who have acquired state-owned land two and a half years after Parliament requested this.
Mr Ablakwa said that following Parliament’s request, the Minister for Lands indicated that he would need sufficient time to provide the list as the system was not yet digitised and therefore it was difficult to compile the data.
However, Ablakwa said that two and a half years after the minister’s request had given him enough time to compile the list and present it to Parliament.
“For two and a half years he has not submitted the list,” Ablakwa said on TV3’s “Key Points” programme on Saturday, August 17.
“When I heard he was going to speak at the press conference, I thought he was going to release the list, that’s what we wanted to see.
“If the president cannot account for state lands, we should all be deeply concerned.”
His comments come at a time when Samuel Abu Jinapor stated that allegations against officials acquiring state land would be investigated if evidence was presented to support the claim that the individuals were acting in a manner that violated the ethics of public officials.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, August 13, Abu Jinapor called on those making these allegations to provide evidence to support their claims so that appropriate action could be taken.
At the event, he answered questions, saying, “There is a question about the sale of public land to public officials. The rule of the game is evidence. If someone has evidence that a public official purchased public land and did so in a way that violated the Code of Ethics for Public Officials and that the person placed themselves in a conflict of interest, why not? We will look at that.”
“Personally, I believe in principle that public officials should not go near public land. I think if you want to buy land, you should look for land in the private sector and not public land, because there is a very fine line of conflict of interest. That line is very easy to cross. However, if you have evidence that a public official has bought land and has done so inappropriately, we will be happy to investigate.”
The Damongo MP further stated that allegations that land owned by the judiciary was sold under the Akufo-Addo Act were false.
He says the facts and data available with the Lands Commission indicate that the lands were sold in 2026 under the Mahama administration.
He described the allegation as “obviously false.”
It will be recalled that Ablakwa alleged that the current Akufo-Addo government had sold lands belonging to important state institutions under allegations of state interference.
But Abu Jinapor said: “The allegation was that the land of the Judiciary was sold under the Akufo-Addo government and that is evidence of state capture. But when such allegations are made, my position is very simple: we must gather the documents and get the facts before we make a decision.”
“When the facts were gathered, it emerged that the lands were not sold under President Akufo-Addo. On the contrary, the land was sold under President Mahama in 2026.”
When asked whether the government would take the initiative to reclaim the land, he said:
“If they were not granted properly and we believe that the grant is tainted with fraud or wrong, why not, we will take steps to recover them. Always remember that in land acquisition, if you have a lease or a contract and it is governed by law, it is not so easy to terminate or withdraw a lease, but if it is necessary, we will take those steps.
