By Jesse Ampah Owusu/ Benjamin Nii Martey Botchway, GNA
Accra, June 18, GNA – Mr Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament for North Tongu, has officially presented a petition to the Presidency calling for the halt of sales of four SSNIT hotels to Rock City Hotel Limited owned by Dr Bryan Acheampong, Minister of Food and Agriculture.
This comes after the lawmaker, the Minority Caucus in Parliament, Representatives of Organised Labour, Arise Ghana, and other groups embarked on a demonstration in Accra in protest of the sale of the hotels.
The hotels are the Labadi Beach Hotel, La Palm Royal Beach Resort, Elmina Beach Resort, and the Ridge Royal Hotel.
The members of the demonstration converged at the Labadi Beach Hotel before walking to Christ the King Church to present the petition to the Presidency.
The petition was received by Mr Emmanuel Adumua-Bossman, a Deputy Chief of Staff at the Presidency on behalf of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
He met the group at a few metres to Chris the King Church to receive the petition.
The group had planned to present the petition at the Jubilee House, however, for security reasons, they were directed to meet with officials from the Presidency at the Christ the King Church premises.
Mr Ablakwa in the petition appealed to President Akufo-Addo to immediately stop the sale of the SSNIT hotels.
“Historically, since 1966, the sale of State assets has not been in the supreme interest of Ghana, and we, therefore, cannot continue on that destructive trajectory.
“A loss-making Bryan Acheampong’s Rock City Hotel according to GRA filings should under no circumstance be allowed to purchase our State hotels, particularly, profitable ones such as Labadi Beach Hotel which posted profits of GHS158 million for 2023,” he added.
Mr Ablakwa said it was wrong and unethical for Ministers and government officials to buy State assets, adding that, politicians and politically exposed persons should never be allowed to buy State assets.
He also urged the President to instruct the Blay Family to stop the illegal encroachment of Labadi Beach Hotel’s beachfront.
“The Blay brothers should be made to respect the initial joint venture agreement with Labadi Beach Hotel and compensate Labadi Beach Hotel for the financial losses their reckless conduct has occasioned,” he added.
Mr Adumua-Bossman commended the group for conducting themselves peacefully in the demonstration.
He pledged to forward the petition to the President.
GNA
