NDC officials shared fifty houses for free

The Dispatch, a private-owned paper, says it can today reveal that in 1992, over 50 houses were distributed freely to some top members of the then out-going Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) as reward for their services. This was done before the 1992 Presidential elections which the National Democratic Congress (NDC) won. The houses are located at Sakumono, Ashongman and Dansoman.

The manner in which the news of the free houses leaked can be likened to the lyrics by top musician, A.B. Crentsil in which seven people were sharing seven thousand cedis but one person was left out.

Highly-placed sources within the NDC hinted the paper that as the PNDC prepared for the 1992 elections, a decision was taken that in addition to the monies paid out, loyal officials should be rewarded with free houses. The sharing, sources revealed, was done by a team, after which those who were left out felt peeved that they had not been rewarded.

The aggrieved persons were promised some houses, vehicles or lucrative appointments in due course.

According to a member of the group: "Since 1992, all those promises have fallen through. What really provoked us was the realization that they had paid themselves huge sums of money, be it ex-gratia or end of service benefits. How about some of us?"

They also revealed that quite a number of middle and lower level officials who served the NDC administration have taken away vehicles which they had sold, painted as taxis or hidden.

Regarding those who benefited, the group revealed that they have some of the names but urged the Kufuor administration to investigate how those houses were allocated in 1992, who paid for them and when transfers were done. They also suggested that the occupants should be made to pay the market rate for the houses.