Minister not aware of appeal against Busia's confiscated house

Nii Okaija Adamafio, Minister of the Interior, told Parliament on Tuesday that he is not aware of any appeal made against the confiscation of a house at Wenchi belonging to the late Dr Kofi Abrefa Busia, Prime Minister in the Second Republic.

He, therefore, said that he would not be able to intimate to Parliament when the property would be de-confiscated.

A Member of Parliament had informed him that the family of Dr Busia, taking advantage of the Statute Law Revision, had filed an appeal to have the property de-confiscated.

The Minister explained that the house, being a confiscated asset to the state, is now being used as official accommodation for the Wenchi Police Divisional Commander.

Nii Okaija's was responding to supplementary questions to a substantive question, which asked about plans the sector Ministry had to provide permanent office and residential accommodation for the Police in the Wenchi District.

Answering the substantive question, Nii Okaija said since the facility is already in place, the Ministry has no plans to construct permanent office and residential accommodation for the Ghana Police Service in the Wenchi District.

He said, however, that the provision of office and residential accommodation for the district Police, would be considered in 2001

Nii Okaija said the Afram Plains district Assembly has been requested to assist the district NADMO offices with vehicles to enhance their work.

He was answering a question on when staff of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) in the district would be provided with vehicles to step up their educational programmes on disaster prevention.

He said like any new organisation, it would take time to acquire the total logistic needs of NADMO, which was established by the government in 1996.

He said it is programmed under the current Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), to buy motor bikes for all the 110 districts.

The Minister told the House that 52 motor bikes are expected to be purchased this year, when funds are released, adding that the district would be included in the allocation.

He expressed the hope that a vehicle would be provided to complement the motor bike allocation, in the course of time.

In response to a suggestion that the Kofi Badukrom Customs Post, in the Brong Ahafo Region, be accorded formal recognition as an approved border entry point to facilitate trade between Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire, Nii Okaija said the Post has always been an approved entry point.

There is, therefore, no obstacle to trade between the two neighbouring countries there.

Earlier Lt. Col. E. K. T. Donkoh, Minister of Defence, who was also in the House to answer questions, had to be rescheduled because the questions listed for him on the Order Paper, were not accompanied by written answers as required by Standing Order 68 (4).

The Standing Order states in part that: "The answer to any such question shall, whenever practicable, be printed and a copy thereof supplied to the member asking it not less than 15 minutes before the time fixed for the sitting at which the question is to be answered".

The Minority side had objected to the Minister answering the questions without providing written answers on the Order Paper.

Dr Kwabena Adjei, Leader of the House, explained that unavoidable circumstances had prevented the Minister from providing the answers on the Order paper.

He said if the Minority would agree, the Minister was ready with answers to the questions, but the Minority would not budge.

Mr Daniel Francis Annan, Speaker, then intervened and asked of the preferences of Mr Joseph Darko-Mensah, NPP-Okaikoi North and Mr Agyare Koi Larbi, NPP-Akropong, in whose names the questions stood.

Both of them said they preferred that printed answers should accompany the questions on the Order Paper.

Mr Justice Annan then sought the opinion of the leadership of the House and ruled that the questions should be stood down for the Business Committee to reschedule the Minister to answer them at a date to be determined by the committee.