Contrary to the ongoing propaganda that the government of Mr J.A. Kufuor gave state lands to its officials, it has emerged that certain top officials of the President government also own some of such lands. Preliminary investigations undertaken by The Ghanaian Observer reveal that National Security Advisor Brigadier Joseph Nunoo Mensah owns one of such lands at the Airport West area of Accra.

The said land was granted to him by the Lands Commission in 1978. Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings-led and inspired 31s December Women’s Movement (DWM) also owns land under the South Legon Development Scheme of the Lands Commission.

The land was granted to the DWM in 1998 when Mr Rawlings was Presdient of the Republic and Nana Konadu was First Lady. Also on the list is Council of State member, Peter Tinganaba Nanfuri who also has a grant of state land at the North Legon Residential area. The land was granted to him in 1985 when the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) junta was in government.

Also on the list is the late Edward Kojo Salia, one time Minister of communications under the Rawlings-NDC government. His land at North Legon Residential area was granted to him in 1998 when he was in government.

Another former Minister and later Ambassador under the NDC government of Mr Rawlings, Mr Ferdinand Ohene Kena also owns state land at the North Legon Residential Area, which was granted him by the Lands Commission in 1993 when the NDC was in government.

Another long time Minister in the Rawlings-NDC government, J.H. Owusu-Acheampong also surfaces on the list as having been granted land in the North Legon Residential Area. Council of State Chairman, Dr Kofi Awonoor also owns one of such lands at the North Legon Residential Area, which land was granted in 1987.

Attorney General and Justice Minister, Mrs Betty Mould Iddrisu was also granted land at North Legon in 1993. The said list, which is only a peep into the loads of NDC functionaries, leaders and their acolytes who have been given such lands from the P/NDC days to the last day of the last NDC government of office on January 7, 2001 makes interesting reading, as it reveals the high and low as well as known financiers and bank rollers.

Officials at the Lands Commission which has been in charge of state lands and who spoke to newsmen in condition of anonymity expressed surprise at the attempted politicization of the acquisition of state lands.

“Every Ghanaian citizen who has the means can apply to the lands Commission for the grant of state lands. If the application is successful, such a person is communicated to with the cost of the land and other incidentals, which must be paid before a lease is prepared in the name of such a person,” one office of the Lands Commission told GO over the weekend.

GO has in its possession a tall list of grants made by various government, dating back to the Kwame Nkrumah led CPP government and judging that the P/NDC ruled Ghana for 19 years, the longest any person has ruled Ghana; a simple arithmetic calculation shows that those two regimes granted state lands more than any other. The question is who are the beneficiaries?