Okudzeto
Ablakwa,
MP,
North
Tongu
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North
Tongu
Lawmaker
Samuel
Okudzeto
has
said
that
the
Private
Members
Bill
which
he
is
sponsoring
against
public
officials
acquiring
state
properties
is
ready.
He
gave
the
title
of
the
Bill
as
“The
Public
Assets
Procetiosn
Bill.”
“We
are
in
the
final
stages,”
he
said
on
the
Key
Points
on
TV3
Saturday
July
13.
Okudzeto
Ablakwa
further
credited
all
Ghanaians
especially
labour
unions
for
the
pressure
mounted
against
the
sale
of
the
hotels
belonging
to
the
Social
Security
and
National
Insurance
Trust
(SSNIT)
which
has
led
to
the
discontinuation
of
the
sale.
He
says
this
is
a
victory
for
organized
labour.
This
is
a
victory
for
the
Ghanaian
people’s
organized
labor,
it
is
not
my
personal
victory
He
added
“real
power
belongs
to
the
people,
you
cannot
continue
to
take
the
people
for
a
ride,
i
want
to
salute
organised
labour,”
he
said
on
the
Key
Points
on
TV3
on
Saturday
July
13.
His
comments
come
after
SSNIT
announced
its
discontinuation
of
the
sale
of
the
60%
shares
in
the
four
hotels.
This
comes
after
several
labour
unions
announced
their
decision
to
embark
on
a
nationwide
strike
following
approval
by
the
National
Pensions
and
Regulatory
Authority
(NPRA)
for
SSNIT
to
procced
with
the
sale
of
60%
shares
in
the
four
hotels.
A
statement
released
by
SSNIT
on
Friday,
July
12
announced
to
the
public
the
termination
of
the
controversial
sale
of
the
shares
in
the
hotels.
“The
Board
and
management
of
Social
Security
and
National
Insurance
Trust
(SSNIT)
wish
to
inform
the
public
that
the
process
to
divest
60%
of
SSNIT’s
stake
in
the
hotels
has
been
terminated,”
Board
Chair
of
SSNIT
Elizabeth
Akua
Ohene
said
in
the
statement.
SSNIT
assured
pensioners
and
contributors
of
managing
the
affairs
of
the
Trust
“prudently
for
the
sustainability
of
the
Pension
Scheme.”
Background
Rock
City
Hotel,
owned
by
Agriculture
Minister
Bryan
Acheampong
was
revealed
few
weeks
ago
has
the
sole
investor
which
satisfied
the
bidding
process
to
purchase
60%
of
shares
in
SSNIT’s
four
hotels.
The
news
about
the
sale
of
the
60%
shares
of
the
four
hotels
was
met
with
resentment
from
all
corners
of
the
general
public.
SSNIT
in
its
defence
said
the
process
to
sell
60%
of
its
shares
in
the
hotels
begun
in
2018
and
was
in
its
final
stage
and
that
Rock
City
Hotel
had
met
all
requirement
to
purchase
the
60%
shares.
It
said
the
four
hotels
which
were
put
up
for
sale
were
running
consistent
losses
and
SSNIT
has
no
funding
to
revive
the
hotels,
hence,
the
need
to
put
it
up
for
sale.
When
the
matter
came
to
light,
North
Tongu
MP,
Samuel
Okudzeto
Ablakwa
vehemently
opposed
the
bid
saying
state
officials
cannot
“loot
and
share”
state
assets.
He
further
organised
a
demonstration
to
protest
against
the
sale
of
SSNIT
Hotels.
Various
labour
unions
also
spoke
against
the
move
which
further
prompted
the
NPRA
to
direct
SSNIT
on
June
28
to
suspend
its
negotiations
with
Rock
City
over
the
sale
of
four
hotels,
pending
further
evaluation
and
engagement.
However,
answering
questions
on
the
floor
of
Parliament
on
Thursday,
July
11,
Employment
and
Labour
Relations
Minister,
Ignatius
Baffour
Awuah
confirmed
that
NPRA
has
given
the
go
ahead
for
the
hotels
to
be
sold
after
the
Authority
was
satisfied
that
SSNIT
has
complied
with
all
due
processes.
He
said
the
directive
from
the
NPRA
was
only
to
ensure
that
SSNIT
had
complied
with
all
the
processes
and
documentation
and
not
to
completely
prevent
SSNIT
from
selling
the
hotels.
“Yes,
it
is
true
that
NPRA
came
up
with
a
directive,
but
I
would
appreciate
it
if
my
brother,
my
colleague,
really
read
the
directive
from
NPRA.
It
said
it
needed
to
be
furnished
with
all
information
relating
to
the
sale
of
the
hotels,
which
SSNIT
has
since
done
that.
“So,
it
wasn’t
like
a
direct
something
that
SSNIT
should
not
go
ahead
to
do
anything,
but
then,
SSNIT
can
only
go
ahead
when
NPRA,
which
is
the
regulator
within
the
field,
had
actually
certified
that
they
have
seen
all
the
documentation
and
the
processes,
and
they
think
that
we
are
good
to
go.
“Yes,
so,
as
a
minister,
I
can
tell
you
tell
you
on
authority
that
NPRA
has
since
indicated
that
they
have
seen
the
processes,
and
they
think
that
SSNIT
can
go
ahead.”
This
revelation
prompted
several
labour
unions
to
take
action
by
declaring
a
nationwide
strike
following
which
SSNIT
has
terminated
the
controversial
sale
of
60%
of
its
shares
in
the
four
hotels.