A heated exchange unfolded on live television between Malik Basintale, Deputy National Communication Officer for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and Amidu Issahaku Chinnia, Deputy Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources on Thursday, July 18, 2024.
The confrontation took place during a broadcast on GHOne TV, where Basintale accused Chinnia of making false allegations against former President John Dramani Mahama regarding the acquisition of state lands and properties.
Basintale charged Chinnia, who also serves as the Member of Parliament for Sissala East constituency, with hypocrisy for accusing Mahama of buying state lands while allegedly acquiring several state assets himself.
“Honourable Chinnia was deputy minister, yesterday I heard him ranting on Good Morning Ghana two days ago that President Mahama bought this, President Mahama bought this state land. When he was asked to prove it, he failed to do so,” Basintale asserted.
He went on to list specific instances of purported state land acquisitions by Chinnia, claiming, “As we speak now, his radio station is on a land in Tumu. That land was government land, it belonged to the local assembly. His radio station is there. How did he acquire that land? Number two, close to the stadium in Tumu is government land, as we speak now, he’s putting up a filling station there. How did he acquire that land? State land. Yet he sat on TV and was mentioning President Mahama’s name as if that was even true. Meanwhile, you have been acquiring state property.”
Basintale also alleged that Chinnia had benefited from sole sourcing, accusing him of awarding contracts to a company formed by his associates.
“His brother went to form a company and the company is called Batowese. His driver was also part of forming that company. His brother is called Abdel Bazaar. His driver is called Dimbie Yahya. And his direct cousin is called Olatunji Amuda. They formed a company called Batowese, came to him as deputy minister, together with his minister at the ministry. And he awarded a contract, a road contract worth 12 million to his own brother. They captured all the projects in Tumu,” Basintale claimed.
In response, Chinnia defended his actions, stating that acquiring state properties is not a crime as long as proper procedures are followed.
“It’s not a crime for any Ghanaian to go through the proper process established to buy state land. It has never been the case,” Chinnia clarified.
He emphasized that no law prohibits public officials from purchasing state lands, provided they adhere to the established guidelines.