AAU Faces Ejection

THE ASSOCIATION of All African Universities (AAU) is facing ejection from its offices at the Airport Ambassadorial Extension Area in Accra.

The one-storey building office was a confiscated building belonging to a Mr Gundona, exiled in the United Kingdom, but was reverted to the owner in 1999 under the NDC government’s deconfiscation of assets policy.

The caretaker, Mr I.R. Aboagye, is now asking the Ministry of Education under whose jurisdiction the AAU falls to pay a monthly rent of $1,5000 with a two-year advance payment for its continued occupation of the building, or face ejection.

However, the Ministry of Education is prepared to pay only $1,000 a month as against the demand of the caretaker, bringing about a stand-off between the tenants and landlord.

Investigations by the Daily Guide have established that when the building was confiscated in 1982, an amount of $46,000 was spent by the government to complete and put the building in usable order.

After the completion of the rehabilitation, the government allocated the building for use by the AUU which has its headquarters in Accra.

During the revolutionary eras in 1979 and 1982, a lot of properties were confiscated to the state for alleged impropriety concerning their acquisition.

Such confiscated buildings were allocated to various government agencies for use as offices, but now that most of these properties have been deconfiscated, many of these government agencies are being threatened with ejection.

Daily Guide can authoritatively report that one of such government agencies that are occupying confiscated building, but at risk of being ejected is the National Service Secretariat also at the Airport residential area.

When Daily Guide contacted the Ministry of Education over the ejection being faced by the AAU, the director in charge of Administration and Finance, Mr K.C. Appiah-Num, confirmed it.

He said the caretaker is charging too high and that the government may not be able to meet his demands.

He said when the building was given back to the owner in 1999, the ministry agreed on monthly rent of ?6 million to be paid every quarter, that is, at the end of every three months.

According to Mr Appiah-Num, this arrangement was put forward because of the fact that the money would have to be budgeted for and later paid.

Mr Appiah-Num explained that all of sudden, Mr Aboagye approached the ministry and said he wanted an upward review of the rent, because the rent being paid was too paltry.

According to Mr Aboagye, he wanted a review of the rent, or the building back.

“He initially quoted $2,000 a month but reviewed it to $1,500 as what he will eventually accept”, Mr Appiah observed.

He contended that the ministry, therefore, asked the Land Valuation Board to value the building and the commensurate rent, and after valuation by Land Valuation, it was stated that ?8 million, which is an equivalent of $1,000, should be paid.

Mr Appiah-Num stressed that the ministry is only prepared to go by the official valuation of the rent which is $1,000.

Mr Appiah-Num noted that the Accountant-General’s Department has indicated that it is only prepared to pay the official rent quoted by the Land Valuation Board and nothing more.

As at now, there is an accumulation of an eight-month rent totalling $12,000 by the caretaker’s computation.

Mr Appiah-Num made it known that the ministry is contemplating moving the offices to the Kofi Annan towers, just adjacent to the offices of the British Council when it is completed.