Samuel Okdzeto, Member of Parliament for North Tongu, is grateful to all Ghanaians, especially the trade unions, for the pressure exerted against the sale of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) hotels, which led to the halting of the sale.
He says this is a victory for organised labour. This is a victory for the organised labour of the Ghanaian people, it is not my personal victory.
He added: “The real power lies with the people, you cannot continue to fool the people, I want to honour organised labour,” he said on TV3’s Key Points on Saturday, July 13.
His comments come after SSNIT announced it would halt the sale of a 60% stake in the four hotels.
This comes after several unions announced their decision to launch a nationwide strike after the National Pensions and Regulatory Authority (NPRA) approved SSNIT to proceed with the sale of 60% stake in the four hotels.
In a statement from SSNIT on Friday, July 12, it was publicly announced that the controversial sale of the shares in the hotels had ended.
“The board of directors and management of Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) wish to inform the public that the process to sell 60% of SSNIT’s stake in the hotels has been concluded,” Elizabeth Akua Ohene, chairperson of the board of directors of SSNIT, said in the statement.
SSNIT assured retirees and donors that they would manage the Trust’s affairs “sensibly for the sustainability of the pension system.”
Background
The Rock City Hotel, owned by Agriculture Minister Bryan Acheampong, was announced a few weeks ago as the sole investor to have completed the bidding process for the purchase of 60% of the shares in SSNIT’s four hotels.
The news of the sale of the 60% shares of the four hotels was received with outrage by the general public.
SSNIT defended itself by stating that the sale process of 60% of the shares in the hotels had started in 2018 and was in its final stages, and that Rock City Hotel had met all the requirements for the purchase of 60% of the shares.
It was stated that the four hotels for sale were continuously making losses and that SSNIT had no financial resources to revive the hotels. Therefore, they had to be put up for sale.
When the matter came to light, Northern 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 the sale of SSNIT Hotels. Several trade unions also spoke out against the move, prompting the NPRA to order SSNIT on June 28 to suspend negotiations with Rock City for the sale of four hotels, pending further evaluation and engagement.
However, Minister of Employment and Industrial Relations Ignatius Baffour Awuah confirmed on Thursday, July 11, in response to questions in Parliament that the NPRA has given the green light for the sale of the hotels after the Authority was satisfied that SSNIT had complied with all the required procedures.
He said the NPRA directive was only meant to ensure that SSNIT complied with all 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, would actually read the NPRA directive. It said that all information about the sale of the hotels should be provided, which SSNIT has now done.
“So it wasn’t that SSNIT was not allowed to do anything right away, but SSNIT can only continue if NPRA, the regulator in this area, has actually certified that they have seen all the documentation and processes, and they think we are ready to go.
“Yes, as a minister I can tell you on the authority of the NPRA that they have now indicated that they have seen the processes and that they believe that SSNIT can continue.”
This revelation prompted several unions to take action and call a nationwide strike. Following this, SSNIT halted the controversial sale of 60% of its shares in the four hotels.
the rdpeident failed
This is not about bias.
all this nonsense about who gave the statements, no one can tell me they voted for a certain party
it is in the national interest, it is about principles
the private members account we are in the final phase
The bill for the public asylum procedure
His comments come after SSNIT announced it would halt the sale of a 60% stake in the four hotels.
This comes after several unions announced their decision to launch a nationwide strike after the National Pensions and Regulatory Authority (NPRA) approved SSNIT to proceed with the sale of 60% stake in the four hotels.
In a statement from SSNIT on Friday, July 12, it was publicly announced that the controversial sale of the shares in the hotels had ended.
“The board of directors and management of Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) wish to inform the public that the process to sell 60% of SSNIT’s stake in the hotels has been concluded,” Elizabeth Akua Ohene, chairperson of the board of directors of SSNIT, said in the statement.
SSNIT assured retirees and donors that they would manage the Trust’s affairs “sensibly for the sustainability of the pension system.”
Background
The Rock City Hotel, owned by Agriculture Minister Bryan Acheampong, was announced a few weeks ago as the sole investor to have completed the bidding process for the purchase of 60% of the shares in SSNIT’s four hotels.
The news of the sale of the 60% shares of the four hotels was received with outrage by the general public.
SSNIT defended itself by stating that the sale process of 60% of the shares in the hotels had started in 2018 and was in its final stages, and that Rock City Hotel had met all the requirements for the purchase of 60% of the shares.
It was stated that the four hotels for sale were continuously making losses and that SSNIT had no financial resources to revive the hotels. Therefore, they had to be put up for sale.
When the matter came to light, Northern 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 the sale of SSNIT Hotels. Several trade unions also spoke out against the move, prompting the NPRA to order SSNIT on June 28 to suspend negotiations with Rock City for the sale of four hotels, pending further evaluation and engagement.
However, Minister of Employment and Industrial Relations Ignatius Baffour Awuah confirmed on Thursday, July 11, in response to questions in Parliament that the NPRA has given the green light for the sale of the hotels after the Authority was satisfied that SSNIT had complied with all the required procedures.
He said the NPRA directive was only meant to ensure that SSNIT complied with all 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, would actually read the NPRA directive. It said that all information about the sale of the hotels should be provided, which SSNIT has now done.
“So it wasn’t that SSNIT was not allowed to do anything right away, but SSNIT can only continue if NPRA, the regulator in this area, has actually certified that they have seen all the documentation and processes, and they think we are ready to go.
“Yes, as a minister I can tell you on the authority of the NPRA that they have now indicated that they have seen the processes and that they believe that SSNIT can continue.”
This revelation prompted several unions to take action and call a nationwide strike. Following this, SSNIT halted the controversial sale of 60% of its shares in the four hotels.
