The buck stops with the president to halt SSNIT hotels sale – Ablakwa insists
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the lead convenor of the ‘Hands Off Our Hotels’ demonstration and Member of Parliament for North Tongu, has asserted that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo must take decisive action to resolve the controversies surrounding the sale of four Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) hotels to Rock City Hotel Limited.
Leading hundreds of demonstrators through the streets of Accra, Ablakwa decried the sale process as secretive and harmful to the interests of SSNIT contributors, who own the hotels. He argued that a fair market evaluation of the four hotels would amount to approximately $121 million, significantly higher than the $61 million offered by Rock City.
“We insist that only the president can resolve this quagmire. He should announce today that they are backing off this transaction because it is inimical and detrimental to our national welfare,” Ablakwa stated. He emphasized that the sale to Rock City, owned by Minister of Agriculture Bryan Acheampong, exemplifies state capture.
Ablakwa referenced projections by the International Labour Organization (ILO), which warned that SSNIT’s reserves could be completely depleted by 2036. Although SSNIT responded that the ILO’s actuarial valuation reports were based on assumptions, the concerns remain significant among the public.
The protest saw robust participation from minority members of parliament, labor representatives including the Trade Unions Congress, the Ghana Federation of Labour, members of the La Traditional Council, and various transparency advocacy groups.
