Following the brouhaha about some State lands being given to Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu ll and the criticisms against the government’s action, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has sought to disabuse the minds of Ghanaians of the notion that the government engaged in illegality.

The Minister, in an interview on Peace FM’s “Kokrokoo” programme, told host Kwami Sefa Kayi that the over 400 acres of lands reportedly possessed by the Asante King were legitimately acquired by him.

Samuel Abu Jinapor explained the lands were first seized from the Asantes by the colonial government, Britain, with them paying no compensation but, after independence, the lands were supposed to be given back to the right owners.

He disclosed that Otumfuo has since taken legal action to reclaim his lands.

“He fought all the way to the Supreme Court”, he stated.

Clarifying the issues to the general public, the Minister stated emphatically that “when you go to Asanteman, for example, 90% of all lands in Asante are stool lands. 90 percent of all lands in Asante are vested in the golden stool”.

“There is no concept like family lands in Ashanti and public lands are just 10 percent”, he stressed, adding “today, we have corrected this wrong; I don’t think that anybody can quarrel with us about it”.