Squatting Ministers Scream

Startling information is emerging that more than 80 percent of state bungalows for ministers and deputy ministers were sold during the latter days of the Kufuor administration. Interestingly, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) who claims it believes in the so-called property-owing democracy sold 80 percent of State bungalows to its own ministers and cronies at a pittance between 2007 and 2008. Ironically, the NPP could not complete a single unit of the much trumpeted affordable housing scheme scattered across the country. According to Hon. Sampson Ahi, Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, the situation has brought untold pressure on ministers and deputy ministers most of whom have become squatters. This perhaps might contribute to their late arrival to office and consequent poor performance on the job, he contended. �If you go to the records that we have with the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing more than 80 percent of government bungalows have been sold off to people,� he said. Hon. Ahi told Radio Gold that a lot of government bungalows were sold in the latter days of Kufour term, stressing that it was under the cover of the so-called redevelopment plan of the capital city. �You will be in the office and people will come, �Honorable, I have little to Bungalow �A� number so, so and so,� some-while you have somebody occupying the house,� he point out. He revealed that the Chief Director�s bungalow has been sold, adding that the chief director is living in the house at the mercy of the person who bought it. �This is the situation we find ourselves, as for deputy ministers its terrible, even if we couldn�t accommodate our substantive ministers then what bout the deputies? I�m in charge. I�m allocating the houses and I don�t have one so you can imagine what is happening,� he said. He said however that his boss, Hon Collins Dauda, has made a proposal to President Mahama that old government bungalows sitting on large tracts must be redeveloped on the basis of Private-Public Partnership. �The President has agreed in principal and we now working on the modalities,� he said, adding that if that measures is not taken for the next five years government will lose all bungalows. "Ever day ministers will come to the office we need accommodation, the current director for controller and accountable general has been to my office times for accommodation but there is none either. Fortunately or unfortunately Hon. Nii Lantey Vanderpyije�s accommodation has gone,� he said, adding that it has brought a lot of frustration on the ministers. In 2008, the Lands Commission at the instance of the then sector Minister in former President J. A. Kufuor�s government granted a 50-year lease of government property located at Ridge, Accra to the current Chairman of the NPP, Mr. Jake Obetsebi-Lampetey, for the specific purpose of redevelopment at a total cost of 390,000. Even though two members of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Dr. Edward Omane-Boamah, in their capacities as Ghanaian citizens, took the matter to the Supreme Court in 2009, the matter was dismissed by a six-to-three majority decision.