Since the issue was made public by the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the presidency has remained tight lipped on the issue and refusing to disclose the cost of the president’s travels to the tax payer.
The MP, filed two urgent questions demanding disclosure of the full cost of President Akufo-Addo’s foreign trips without using the official presidential jet, all the attempts to either get the presidency, or the national security minister to answer to it, has proven futile or at most evasive.
In an attempt to answer the question, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, who happens to be a minister of State at the Ministry of Interior, Bryan Acheampong, has some kind,but insulting words for Ghanaians.
According to him, “My advice to the National Security Minister is that he should reclassify the President’s travels; the present and past, from confidential to secret or top secret. We have to be sensitive.
“If the President decides that he needs to make a quick trip to Mail, even if he decides to go with the presidential flight, using flight tracker, you will know this is the tail number of Ghana’s presidential flight, and you are able to track it. Is that how you will want to expose our President?” he quizzed.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has been consistent on his demand, he is not asking for the president’s travel itenary, he is only asking for how much it is costing the tax payer anytime the president has to travel on those luxury jets.
This newspaper frowns at the answer given by Bryan Acheampong, as no Ghanaian is interested in his travel records, but how much it cost the citizens anytime he has to abandon the presidential jet, which has been used by his predecessors.
In the opinion of this newspaper, if Bryan Acheampong, who is well vexed in security matters , could not tell the president not to carry his girlfriend Serwa Broni in the presidential jet and allow her to take a selfie in the aircraft, despite all the security concerns, then this advice unfortunately is belated.
