Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Okudzeto Ablakwa has descended on President Akufo-Addo for using taxpayer’s money to fly a luxurious private jet to France and Johannesburg.
Ablakwa days ago revealed that the President spent 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.”
Meanwhile Nana Akomea, Managing Director of State Transport Corporation, told Good Evening Ghana that the state of the country’s own Presidential jet makes it unsafe for long journey travels.
He noted that since the Presidential jet almost crushed in 2018, it was advised that the President only use it for short distances and not more than 5 hour journeys.
Therefore, based on this advise, the country has no choice than to buy a new jet or charter one for the President whenever he has to travel a long distance.
“The claim that President Akufo-Addo has decided not to use the presidential jet is not true. It is not president Akufo-Addo’s decision. In fact, what has been recommended since 2018 October where they almost had a crash in America…
“… the reports that came out from the experts in the military and so on was that they shouldn’t use that jet for long-distance travel and for more than 5 hours and ordered that either the president charters or we buy a new aircraft,”
He noted that the President uses the Presidential jet in his local travels and within West Africa.
Source: GhanaFeed.com
