President Akufo-Addo is in Burkina Faso to mourn with the country after a devastating terrorist attack which led to the death of 160 people.
The President this time round used the Presidential jet, the Falcon after he was accused of renting a luxurious private jet in his last travel to France.
Being the ECOWAS Chairman, he commiserated with the President and people of Burkina Faso assuring them of ECOWAS’ commitment to dealing with terrorism in the sub-region.
President Akufo-Addo had been accused by North Tongu lawmaker, Okudzeto Ablakwa of spending a whooping GH¢2.8 Million of taxpayers money on a private jet to his recent trips to France and Johannesburg.
In a post on Facebook, the legislator said the president decided to rent an aircraft that cost the Ghanaian taxpayer £15,000 an hour.
He further added that the President left Accra for Paris on the 16th of May and then from Paris to Johannesburg and back to Accra on the 25th of May accumulating a total of 23 hours amounting to a colossal £345,000. At the current exchange, the amount totals GH¢2,828,432.80.
Speaking on Okay FM, Mr Ablakwa noted that the President could have opted for a cheaper jet for his trip yet he opted for a luxurious option; quizzing if he would have made that decision if Ghana, as broke as the country is, was his private company.
“If Ghana was your private company and you’ve bought a private jet, would you do that? Would you abandon the jet and use a private jet? Is it really necessary for you to do that? You’ve chartered the most expensive jet. He could have flown commercial. The company had a fleet of jets that we could have spent less than what we spent but we decided to go for top of the range. This is to make money and show that they are in a league of their own that’s why they created this plane,” he was quoted by ghanaweb.
He added, “Even the company itself says. Why go for the highest at the expense of the taxpayer when going for debt forgiveness? All the countries we are approaching don’t do this. You dare not leave the presidential jet and go for a luxury aircraft to be chilling in the airspace. This is wrong and unconscionable. Someone who promised to protect the public purse is that you protecting the public purse.”
Source: GhanaFeed.com
