Minority in Parliament has urged the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to promptly release the list of lands in the Northern Region that have been leased without proper authorization.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs argue that disclosing this information is essential for reclaiming the lands and identifying those behind the unauthorized leases.
At a press conference on Tuesday, September 3, Alhassan Suhuyini, the Ranking Member of Parliament’s Lands and Natural Resources Committee, criticized the government for its tendency to withhold information from the public.
He stressed the need for transparency in handling such issues, especially when it concerns public lands.
“Distinguished ladies and gentlemen of the press, thanks to our collective activism against dubious allocations of state lands to private individuals, the government has since forced a retreat and announced that the Northern Regional Lands Commission has been directed to reverse a number of leases over public lands granted to private developers without the prior approval of the President of the Republic.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, it will be most irresponsible on the part of the Minister and President if the officials involved in the criminal allocation of the said leases of government land, without the prior approval of neither the president nor minister, are not sanctioned.”
Mr. Suhuyini urged the government to publicly disclose the list of government lands that have been leased without proper authorization, so that Ghanaians can evaluate the situation independently.
He contended that public oversight is crucial for ensuring accountability and curbing further unauthorized land transactions.
Alongside the release of the list, the NDC MPs have demanded that any staff members of the Lands Commission implicated in these illegal activities face penalties.
Mr. Suhuyini emphasized the need for stringent disciplinary measures to discourage others from participating in similar misconduct.
“We therefore demand the swift dismissal and criminal investigation of the officials involved in allocating the said leases without the approval of the President. We also request the Minister in the interest of transparency and good governance to publish the full report of the three-member committee the ministry set up to investigate the transfer of the public lands in the Northern Region,” he stated.