The Member of Parliament for Bortianor Ngleshie Amanfro, Sylvester Tetteh, has denied allegations of illegally demolishing a staff bungalow belonging to the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) at Weija to pave way for the construction of a school project.
The MP who also serves as a Deputy Minister of Information has planned to put up a school in the area and had engaged the GBC to use a part of the land for the project.
However, GBC has accused him of demolishing a staff bungalow at an area which is not part of where has been allocated to the MP for the school project.
Speaking on Friday after GBC accused him of orchestrating the demolition, Mr. Tetteh attributed the incident to administrative missteps and vowed to investigate the allocation of GBC lands in the Akwasa area.
He explained that there was an agreement between the GA South Municipal Assembly and GBC to use the land for a public school. Mr. Tetteh noted that the demolition was undertaken by the Assembly, not him, as part of the agreed plan.
Mr. Tetteh dismissed claims that a bungalow was torn down, describing the structure as a “dilapidated boy’s quarters.”
He further accused GBC of collecting rent from an occupant who had lived there for years, despite the property being uninhabitable by GBC staff.
“They’ve been collecting money from him for years. No GBC staff had ever occupied that place for a very long time. It’s a boy’s quarters dilapidated building,” Mr. Tetteh said.
Investigation into land allocations
The MP announced plans to investigate the allocation of GBC lands to private individuals, accusing the broadcaster of mismanaging its property.
“As a sector deputy minister, I will institute investigations into how GBC lands have ended up building private homes here where we are standing. So, if [the GBC Director of Legal Affairs] had the impudence to report me to the police, he should get ready,” Mr. Tetteh stated.
He argued that any clearing of structures on the site was necessary for development, pointing to a letter from the GBC Director General as evidence of the broadcaster’s prior knowledge.
Watch the Minister's interview below;
GBC’s Accusations
On Thursday, GBC publicly accused Mr. Tetteh of unlawfully demolishing its staff bungalows and called on the Ghana Police Service to intervene. In a statement posted on social media, GBC claimed that police assistance halted further demolition.
"The Management of GBC with the help of Ghana Police Service this afternoon stopped the Deputy Minister of Information and MP for Bortianor Ngleshie Amanfro, Sylvester Tetteh from continued illegal demolition of government buildings on GBC land at Weija," it posted.
Mr. Tetteh categorically denied wrongdoing, defending his actions as lawful and in the interest of his constituency.
“If I’m lawless for the sake of my community, I’ll continue to be lawless,” he remarked defiantly.
