Reports reaching The Herald indicate that state lands in and around the Volta Regional capital, Ho, have fallen prey to activities of some greedy politicians like the spoils of war.
This paper is informed that the lands are being dished to members of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), the family members, cronies among others.
There are instances where some of the prime lands were bought by these politicians and later sold to private companies, including Melcom Ghana Limited.
The Herald was told that some state officers who were unhappy about the development and complained were transferred out of the region to various parts of the country. They were overnight replaced by ruling party apparatchiks to do the bidding of the political heads.
It is not clear, what Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, Volta Regional Minister, who is a private businessman aside from his politics, is doing about the situation. He has lots of business interests in the regional capital, and allegations are rife in the Ho Municipality that he is complicit in the land grab.
Most state lands around the Ho Sports Stadium to Ring Road, are said to have gone to private individuals.
Also gone to private individuals are lands around the Residency.
A suburb of Ho, called Kabore Nurses Quarters, is also mentioned to have witnessed a massive intrusion of state lands there by private individuals. The Herald learnt that in some instances, state bungalows were said to have been demolished after their occupants were told simply to move out or were relocated to unknown places.
The former State Construction Company (SCC) Yard was mentioned as being sold to a company called, Sika Krobia Limited; importers of Lele Rice. The company is owned by two Lebanese nationals Waseem and Mohammed. They are using the place as a depot for Lele products.
A top politician in the region who is linked to the NPP, is also mentioned to have bought a huge portion of a particular state land owned by the State Transport Company (STC) around the Regional Police Headquarters and sold an acre to Melcom Ghana.
The lands sometimes sold for a pittance are being developed into plush private homes and buildings for commercial purposes.
Interestingly, some documents from the Regional Lands Commission have popped out, indicating that some state lands in Ho Municipality were sold for an outrageous fee of GH₵41.00.
Recently, Accra-based Onuaonline.com, also reported sighting documents showing some aviation lands located at Tragalga in the Ho municipality have been leased to a private entity by name International Diamond Resort Company Limited for 99 years.
The exposé was made by Captain Smart on ‘Maakye’ Monday, on June 20, 2022.
These revelations come in the wake of reports that the state lands in Accra, Tema and other places in the Greater Accra Region, are secretly being allotted to politicians, their family members and cronies of the NPP to blinds the public.
The late ex-NPP General Secretary, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie alias “Sir John” who was found to have grabbed portions of the Achimota Lands and the Sakumo Ramsar Site also known as the Sakumo Lagoon, a wetland of international importance near Tema.
His huge plots of lands in the two protected areas which were in his custody as the Chief Executive of the Forestry Commission, a state institution, but he is said not to be alone.
This paper is informed that the grabbing of the state lands is not limited to Ho and Accra alone but across the country.
The Northern Regional capital, Tamale in particular, is mentioned as one of the places where lots of state lands are also being shared to politicians and their cronies.
