Shameless Squatters Face Rod

The major campaign message of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the run-up to the 2000 elections, whilst they were opposition, was that its members and bigwigs of the party were �self-made� men. That message resonated well with the Ghanaian electorate and the party eventually won power. Little over nine months in opposition today, it is emerging that, the NPP played �Sakawa� on the minds of Ghanaians, with the �we are self made� claim. It has emerged that some of the so-called �self-made men� are indeed squatters in government bungalows, many months after ceasing to be public officials The worst offender, as we know now, is the party�s General Secretary, Nana Ohene Ntow, who turned government bungalow into a Kpakpo shito� factory, selling pepper and fried rice alongside. Nana Ohene Ntow, later became one of the numerous government spokespersons, who squatted in a government bungalow for 96 months at the blind side of Ghanaians. For his action, the present administration is on his tail for a refund of cost of occupying the bungalow for such a long period, when it was visibly clear that he was not a government official. The NPP chief scribe is to pay the government GH�96,000, for turning a government bungalow into �Kpapo Shito� and �Dawadawa� factory. But all this time Mr. Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey, former Chief of Staff, ex-minister of information and Tourism, who also latched onto a government bungalow for 18 months and at a point in time attempted to buy the bungalow, which has been state property since independence, has been quiet. He caught fire, when his moves to acquire the property came to the public domain and incurred the wrath of Ga Dagme youth, who went picketing in front of the bungalow. The Ministry of Water Resources Works and Housing, has written to him demanding payment for overstaying in his government bungalow, the paper learnt. Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey is also expected to cough up GH5,400 to the government for squatting in the bungalow, when, in actual fact, he had no business in the format administration. Then comes Nkrabea Effah-Darteh, the man who was disqualified from contesting the NPP presidential primary in last year�s elections. He also squatted in a government bungalow for 30 months. The respected lawyer is also to pay GH�9,000 to the government for the period he squatted in the government bungalow. Dr. Hannah Bissiw, Deputy Minister of Water and Housing, told The Enquirer via phone that the three squatters in state bungalows have been informed in writing about their indebtedness. According to the Deputy Minister, Mr. Obetsebi Lamptey and Captain Effah Darteh (rtd) were written to, on September 23, this year, and were also expected to respond in earnest. �Nana Ohene Ntow was written to on September 18, 2009 but he is yet to respond to the letter,� she said. Dr. Bissiw told The Enquirer that the government will use the right avenue to collect the stated money from the three men. �The laws will be enforced because some of them went to the extent of turning the state property into a commercial one.� She said. She said that those who squatted in those bungalows will not be made to walk free because at the time of occupying those places he had no business in government.