Deputy National Communication Officer for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Malik Basintale confronted the Deputy Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Amidu Issahaku Chinnia, on live TV on Thursday, July 18, 2024, for statements the latter made against former President John Dramani Mahama.
Basintale accused Chinnia, the Member of Parliament for Sissala East constituency, of being hypocritical when he falsely accused former President John Dramani Mahama of buying state lands and properties.
He said that while the deputy minister was deliberately wrongly accusing the former president of acquiring state lands, he had a collection of state assets he had acquired for himself and his family members.
“Honourable Chinnia was deputy minister, yesterday I heard him ranting on Good Morning Ghana two days ago that President Mahama bought this, President Mahama bought this state land. When he was asked to prove it, he failed to do so.
“But little did he know that he himself has been a culprit so long as the dissipation of state property is concerned,” he said.
The NDC deputy communication officer went on to list supposed state lands acquired by the deputy sanitation minister.
“As we speak now, his radio station is on a land in Tumu. That land was government land, it belonged to the local assembly. His radio station is there. How did he acquire that land? Number two, close to the stadium in Tumu is government land, as we speak now, he’s putting up a filling station there. How did he acquire that land? State land. Yet he sat on TV and was mentioning President Mahama’s name as if that was even true. Meanwhile, you have been acquiring state property.
“The land where you stayed, the property you stayed in as deputy minister in Wa, the land just next to it he’s acquired it. How did he get it? State property at a residential area is now in his name,” he said.
He also accused the deputy sanitation minister of benefiting from sole sourcing.
He alleged that Chinnia has formed a company with his friends and has been awarded several road contracts.
“As if that was not enough, I’m going to teach you proper state capture. His brother went to form a company and the company is called Batowese. His driver was also part of forming that company. His brother is called Abdel Bazaar. His driver is called Dimbie Yahya. And his direct cousin is called Olatunji Amuda. They formed a company called Batowese, came to him as deputy minister, together with his minister at the ministry. And he awarded a contract, a road contract worth 12 million to his own brother. They captured all the projects in Tumu,” the NDC communicator claimed.
Issahaku Chinnia, who was also on the TV programme, which was on GHOne TV, in his response to the claims by Basintale, said that acquiring state properties is not a crime, as long as the appropriate processes and procedures are followed.
According to him, he disagrees with public debate by some persons who argue that public officials should not buy state lands, stressing no law prohibits certain persons, specifically public officials, from buying state lands.
The Deputy Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources explained, however, that there is a procedure laid down for individuals who express interest in purchasing state assets.
“It’s not a crime for any Ghanaian to go through the proper process established to buy state land. It has never been the case,” he clarified.
Watch a video of the programme below:
