According to JoyNews, President Akufo-Addo may be compelled to take commercial flights for all of his overseas excursions for the next four months since the presidential jet is slated for major repairs.
It will be taken to France, according to Defence Minister Dominic Nitiwul, where it will remain until at least October 2022.
“By the end of this month, we will not have a presidential jet because the one we have is going to France for re-service; it’s one of the reasons the President will not use it for four to five months,” he said in an interview with JoyNews’ Evans Mensah.
The President has been chastised by the Minority in Parliament for utilizing “luxurious private jets” for his travels although the official presidential jet is still in good working order since last year.
However, in an appearance on JoyNews PM Express on Tuesday, the Minister indicated that the President has been utilizing the presidential jet for all domestic and West African travel.
“We only advised the President not to use it for very long journeys but all the movements within Africa, all the short movements within West Africa, that’s the plane the President uses,” the Bimbilla legislator added.
Background
The President’s use of a chartered luxurious private jet for his international visits has been condemned by the Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
He said on February 12 this year that the President spent over GH¢4 million on his 10-day trip to Europe and Guyana.
He has accused the administration of squandering taxpayers money and urged Ghanaians to hold the government accountable.
In May 2021, the MP sparked outrage when he claimed that the country was paying £15,000 per hour because the President chose an expensive plane over the presidential jet on his trips to France, Belgium, and South Africa.
He then submitted a query, and Parliament called Dominic Nitiwul, Ghana’s Defence Minister, to address concerns about the expense and why the country’s presidential jet was not deployed.
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The Minister justified the President’s decision to rent the aircraft by claiming that the presidential jet’s capacity was no longer sufficient to transport the President’s entourage.
He informed the House that the Finance Minister would be the ideal person to offer further information on the trip’s costs.
Mr Ablakwa was dissatisfied with this response and submitted a second question to call the Finance Minister to address the expense.
Ken Ofori-Atta spoke before Parliament, stating that inquiries about the President’s expenses and travels should be directed to the National Security Ministry.
While the nation is yet to learn the exact cost of both trips, former Chief of Staff Kojo Impiani has urged that an alternate way be used to stop politicians living extravagant lives at the expense of taxpayers.
Mr Ablakwa said in September that the President had rented another expensive plane for his recent visits to the United Kingdom and Germany.
President Akufo-Addo’s recent flights to the United Kingdom and Germany, he claims, cost the country GH¢3.4 million.
However, Eugene Arhin, the Director of Communications at Jubilee House, disputed the assertions, claiming that Mr Ablakwa’s claims about the President’s recent travel were untrue.
He further stated that President Akufo-Addo did not fly on a Luxembourg-registered aircraft, as alleged by the MP.
SOURCE: myjoyonline
