The Member of Parliament for Tamale North, Alhassan Suhuyini and Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor have clashed over sale of a parcel of land housing the Timber Market in the Tamale Metropolis to a private developer.
Mr. Suhuyini who summoned the Minister to Parliament over the development indicated that traders who have occupied the land for decades are losing their livelihoods as a result of the move by the government without any compensation.
However, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Samuel Abu Jinapor refuted claims of the Tamale North MP.
According to Abu Jinapor, the state followed due process in leasing the land to the private developer in line with the redevelopment plan started by the Rawlings administration.
The Damango MP further disclosed compensation will be paid to the affected.
He however accused the Tamale North MP of failing to be present in the house to ask the question himself.
But speaking to the media in Parliament the Tamale North MP who doubles as deputy ranking Member for the Committee on Lands and Forestry Alhassan Suhuyini argued the answers provided by the Minister to his query smacks of arrogance.
“As of 9am the Environment Committee was in a meeting with the Environmental Protection Agency. It is listed you can check the meeting and about 10am the Speaker of Parliament was not in and at the Committee rooms we all know that there is no TV to monitor to know if the Speaker has come in.
“So at that meeting I got engaged with the EPA and I lost track of time. That is how come I wasn’t on the call. But I am a responsible Member of Parliament and I was doing my duty as the people’s representative as early as 9am I was here participating in the Environment Committee meeting,” Mr. Suhuyini stated.
He continued: “So let the Minister engage in all the propaganda he wants to engage in and all the attempts to make me look irresponsible and bad. But the fact remains that the Minister and you can all check google it right now Tamale Lands Commission denies the sale of Timber Market. If he is saying the land Commission has never denied the sale of that land the reports are there, the press conference was organized May 2021.”
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM
