|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Parliament has described as an abuse of the intelligence of Ghanaians attempt to justify President Akufo-Addo’s US$15,000-an-hour chartered flight two day trip.
According to the side, for a President whose government introduced new taxes not long ago on an already impoverished Ghanaian, using a luxurious chartered flight that cost the taxpayer over GH¢2.8 million while a functioning Presidential jet, the Falcon 900 EX Easy is parked in the hanger is the height of insensitivity.
The NDC Minority described as incredible the President’s acknowledgement of the state being in difficult times and yet could fork out such colossal amount of money only on a two-day trip.
“You see the congestion and the dilapidation in the country; the difficult conditions under which our students are learning; the no-bed syndrome in the hospitals.”
“Doctors are complaining of lack of basic medical equipment that they don’t have and President himself embarked on this trip to go and beg for debt forgiveness and this is how he goes to beg.”
“Even the person he went to beg the debt forgiveness from does not travel in such ostentation and opulent manner,” the side insists.
Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee and MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who addressed these concerns to the media last Friday stated the level of extravagance that President Akufo-Addo displayed is unconscionable and condemnable.
He insisted that the Presidential Jet could have served the same purpose and save the tax payer approximately 85% of the funds spent on the luxurious charted flight, especially when President Akufo-Addo had used the same jet on his trip to Uganda barely 48 hours before .
“We insist that the Falcon was available for this trip. The President used it for his five and half hour trip to Uganda and back only days before embarking on his ‘Arabian King shower in the skies’ European tour.”
“We cannot continue this way and how do you think Western leaders will perceive African leaders? No wonder they have very little respect for a lot of African leaders,” he added.
Mr. Ablakwa indicated that he has filed an urgent question requesting the Minister of Defence to appear before the House to explain why the Falcon was not used for the trip.
And to make a full disclosure on the entire cost on the alternative arrangement and how much it cost the Ghanaian taxpayer.
“We will push strongly for these urgent questions to be responded to,” he stated.
—
Frontpageghana.com/Ghana
