Fresh questions are being raised about the Nana Akufo-Addo’s commitment to fulfilling his campaign promise to protect the public purse at all cost in the wake of the government’s deafening silence on the Daily Post Newspaper’s report that President Akufo-Addo spent over GH₵21million on a private jet over a three week period.
The Daily Post in its two part report which started last week wrote that the private jet which is Airbus A318-11 elite was rented from K5 Aviation Gm BH of Germany.
The paper further reports that the jet was selected by President Akufo-Addo because it is more luxurious than Ghana’s Presidential jet and can take 18 people while the Presidential jet has a sitting capacity of 14.
The Daily Post also revealed that the President and his entourage started using the private jet on May 26, 2019 when he departed Accra for Vienna, Austria.
“Then he flew Accra to Madrid, Spain aboard the luxury private jet on June 1, 2019 just to watch his favourite English club, Tottenham Hotspur play against Liverpool FC in the UEFA Champions League final.”
“From there, he and his cabal flew in the private jet to Toronto and then to Vancouver on June 4 to take part in the “Women Deliver” conference where he disgraced himself and Ghana.”
“From Vancouver, on June 5, Akufo-Addo flew down to Abuja, Nigeria and then jetted on June 9, in the same private jet to Geneva. The following day, June 10, he flew again in the same plane to Guyana. Two days later that is on June 12 he flew from Guyana to the Island of St. Vincent.”
“On June 14, 2019, he flew from St. Vincent to Barbados and then the following day, flew to Jamaica before he finally returned to Accra on Tuesday, June 18,” the paper indicated.
Despite the details provided by the Daily Post newspaper in its story the Jubillee House, Presidential seat of government has remained mute even in the wake of fresh claims that the President’s newly acquired taste cost the President a staggering GH₵21.42million to use for three weeks.
This is despite the availability of the Presidential jet, a clear contradiction of the President’s promise to protect the public purse.
This is the latest in a series of decisions that are giving the government the reputation of a plunderer rather than a protector when it comes to the public purse.
The first act that has left a huge dent on the promise to protect the public purse is the appointment of over 100 ministers and the deputy, a world record.
Whiles there were several attempts by some staffers to dismiss the story of the rented “luxurious” private jet on social media, there has been deafening silence after images of the President using the plane surfaced.
Meanwhile, the Daily Post continues to serialize the story with indications that some of the members of the entourage are family members who hold no position in government, a claim that has been supported by a picture of the President, his brother Bumpty and Gabby Asare Otchere Darko, a cousin.
President Akufo-Addo has been accused of woefully failing his promise to keep family and friends out of government business by appointing several close relatives including his daughter to key government positions whiles others including his brother and cousin have been named as power brokers despite not holding official positions.
President Akufo-Addo came to power on the back of a promise to protect the public curse after criticizing and virtually taking his predecessor’s government to the cleaners for what he claimed were acts that endangered the tax payers’ interest.
Story by: Sena Nombo/Radiogoldlive.com
