The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Deputy Head of Public Affairs, Malik Basintale, on Thursday, July 18, 2024, confronted the Deputy Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Amidu Isahaku Chinnia, live on TV over his comments against former President John Dramani Mahama.
Basintale slammed the Member of Parliament for Sissala East Constituency, Chinnia, as a hypocrite when he falsely accused former President John Dramani Mahama of acquiring government land and properties.
He said the Deputy Minister deliberately and wrongfully accused the former President of acquiring state land, but he owns a collection of state properties acquired for himself and his family.
“His Excellency Chinya was a Deputy Minister and I heard him complain on Good Morning Ghana yesterday, the day before yesterday, that President Mahama bought this, President Mahama bought this public land and when he was asked to prove this he could not.
“But he didn’t know that he himself was the culprit when it came to squandering state property,” he said.
The NDC’s Deputy Communications Director then listed government land that the Deputy Minister of Health had allegedly acquired.
“As we speak, his radio station is in Tumu grounds. The land was government land, it belonged to the local council. His radio station is there. How did he get this land? Secondly, there is government land near the stadium in Tumu. As we speak, he is building a petrol station there. How did he get this land? Government land. And yet he sits on TV and mentions President Mahama’s name as if it is true. In the meantime you have acquired state property.
“The land you lived on, the land you lived on as vice minister of Wakoku, the land right next to it, he acquired it. How did he figure that out? The government land in the residential area is now in his name,” he said.
He also accused the deputy health minister of profiting from monopoly procurement.
He claimed that Chinnia had set up a company with his friends and won several road construction contracts.
“As if that wasn’t enough, here’s how to properly capture the state: His brother set up a company and the company is called Batowese. His driver was also involved in setting up this company. His brother’s name is Abdel Bazar. His driver’s name is Dimbi Yahya. And his cousin’s name is Olatunji Amuda. They set up a company called Batweese and joined him as a deputy minister with the minister. And he gave road building contracts worth 12 million to his brothers. They took over all the projects in Tumu,” the NDC commentator claimed.
Also appearing on GHOne TV, Issahak Chinya, in response to Beisintale’s allegations, said acquiring state property is not a crime as long as the relevant process and procedures are followed.
According to him, he does not agree with the public discourse of some people who claim that public servants should not purchase state land, stressing that there is no law that prohibits certain people, especially public servants, from purchasing state land.
However, the Deputy Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources explained that there is an established procedure for people who express interest in purchasing state property.
“It is not a crime for Ghanaians to go through the due process of purchasing government land. “It has never been like that,” he clarified.
Check out the video of the program below:
