The Deputy Minister for Information has indicated that the NPP will soon be releasing a list of 300 state-owned companies sold to individuals who are now criticising the sale of shares in hotels owned by SSNIT to Rock City Hotel Limited owned by the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong.
Sylvester Tetteh, who made this announcement while criticising the June 18, 2024 ‘Hands Off Our Hotels Demonstration’ led by North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa to protest the sale of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust shares, stated that the list would be released in the subsequent weeks.
The deputy minister, who was speaking on Tuesday’s edition of Good Morning Ghana, said that the demonstration and issues pertaining to the sale of the hotels are only being used by Ablakwa and members of the NDC to score political points.
“For me, I think that where we are today, yes it is true that we must speak up, we must stand up for matters that we are not happy about, but due process must also be followed. So, I think that hitting the street to find political gain and political advantage of it is not the right approach.
“We, in the subsequent weeks, will begin to update Ghanaians on how 300 companies ended up with some individuals, and today they are pontificating more righteously than the Pope himself. Stay tuned,” he said.
He said that some of the people who are not talking about the sale of the SSNIT hotels and accusing the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) of state capture were quiet when properties of the state were being sold to bigwigs of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) when they were in power.
He began his statement by sharing a brief of state-owned properties sold to NDC members, including properties of the Ghana National Trading Corporation (GNTC) and the Ambassador Hotel.
“But the people who have suddenly found their voices against the sale of state assets, I believe that they should have questioned how GNTC Bakeries at La, GNTC Bakeries at Kumasi, GNTC Bakeries at Takoradi, GNTC Supermarket Dansoman, GNTC Supermarket Kanda, GNTC Supermarket at Ringway were sold.
“How the Kumasi Catering Rest House was sold, how the Ambassador Hotel was sold, and the beneficiaries of all these properties over a period of time and how ownership has changed over a period of time. And some of them who are still within the NDC are still holding on to these properties,” he said.
Watch his remarks in the video below:
SSNIT Hotel Sale: We'll begin to update Ghanaians on how 300 companies ended up with individuals under the NDC regime; stay tuned – Hon. Sylvester Tetteh #GoodMorningGhana #MetroTV pic.twitter.com/rwoZvoFvIs
— Metro TV Ghana (@metrotvgh) June 18, 2024
