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“I said that where Mahama is living is not good for him or for us . . . I advised that it would be good for him to leave the area because he was the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and the military have made it very clear that they need that land,” Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul clarified.

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) pounced on the Defence Minister after he at a ‘Meet The Press event’ last week, alleged that top government officials including former President John Mahama who were living on land taken from the Armed Forces “should leave.”

“ . . I am talking about the former President, John Mahama. I will say no more, but I am very disturbed about this.  It is happening in Tamale, it is happening in Takoradi and Lands Commission is colluding to do that. People in Lands Commission were selling Armed Forces lands. Not under this watch, that cannot happen any longer, and anybody who decides to encroach on Armed Forces lands should leave. It is not in your interest. I am sorry; but that is the truth that we did not manage the Armed Forces lands very well,” he opined.

The Office of the former President also responded describing the minister’s comment as 'false and most unfortunate'

In a statement, Special Aide to the former President suggested that asking the former President to vacate the land, does not speak well of the current administration; adding, the ruling government must "take care of ex-presidents better and not in the manner currently being done".

However, speaking in an interview on Citi Eyewitness News, Mr. Nitiwul said he only “advised that it would be good for him (Mahama) to leave the area because he was the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and the military have made it very clear that they need that land”. 

“I mentioned former President Mahama and said that where he was living, that land is in dispute between several Labadi families and the military. It would not be in his interest as former Commander-in-Chief to live there,” he added.

According to him, “if you go to some portions of Burma Camp, you may not be able to differentiate military property from civilian property, and that is not good for any us.”

Meanwhile, Minister of Information, Mustapha Hamid has asked former President John Mahama to be patient as government will soon ‘settle’ him.

According to him, the Akufo-Addo administration is dealing with the entitlements of two ex-presidents.

“Even ex-President Kufuor has not been given his accommodation yet since 2009 when he left office . . . that, therefore, puts the pressure of settling two former presidents on us, and they had only one president to provide for and couldn’t complete it. So, they should be patient with us, we are pleading with them.”