Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko and Blakk Rasta
• Blakk Rasta has chastised Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko over his defence of Akufo-Addo’s travel
• He described his comment as a “demented thought”
• It is alleged that Akufo-Addo recently hired £14,000 per hour luxurious jet for his overseas travel
In an attempt to justify President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo hiring of a luxurious aircraft for his recent travel which reportedly cost Ghana £14,000 per hour, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko says the President’s travel brought about 1.5 million vaccines, among other investor-related items to the country.
According to him, critics of the President’s travel know the cost of everything but do not place value on them.
“Ghana’s president traveled to Germany for a week and returned with 1.5 million vaccines, among other investor-related items. But, of course, the focus of those who seasonally choose to know the cost of everything but the value of little, is on the cost of the flight chartered!” Otchere-Darko tweeted.
This, Blakk Rasta has described as a “demented thought”.
The host of Taxi Driver show on Zylofon FM, in a reply to Gabby’s tweet questioned the value of a luxury travel by the President as compared to “unfamed vaccines.”
He wrote, “Such a demented-thought. These are the guys his eminent sleepiness, mr sky-bathing sleepident has as his advisors. What’s the cost of luxury-travel compared to these unfamed vaccines?
“So those countries that did not travel luxury-class got no free vaccines? Begging lilliput,” Blakk Rasta’s tweet ended.
Background
The North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, is alleging that President Akufo-Addo hired another luxurious aircraft on his recent foreign trips to the UK and Germany.
In a Facebook post, the NDC legislator, the trips on the hired jet cost the state £14,000 per hour and a cumulative ¢3.46 million.
He then called for a national policy on presidential travels akin to what pertains in other jurisdictions.
“For his recent travels to the UK on the 27th of July, 2021, to attend the Global Education Summit and last week’s state visit to Germany, he blatantly refused to travel on the presidential jet.
“Instead, he opted for another top of the range VIP luxury charter jet specifically known to industry players as the Boeing 737-900ER BBJ3,” he alleged.
“The 19-seater luxury jet, which has a HEX code 4D0213 is configured VIP, has 2x CFMI engines and was delivered to the current operators in November, 2015.
“Very few luxury jets boast of its features. Its manufacturers say the cabin is divided into multiple sections to guarantee exceptional comfort. It provides a VIP lounge for relaxation, Five-Star dining facilities, Royal Master bedroom, Cinema Room, specially delineated for watching movies, which is a separate accessory from other in-flight entertainment systems, and of course, just as you predicted correctly, complete with a luxury shower (apparently, the sky bath continues unabated – all royalties paid to Defence Minister, Nitiwul).
“If our government is dealing directly with the operators of the LX-DIO, then it is costing the Ghanaian taxpayer at least, $14,000 per hour. However, if our government is leasing the aircraft via brokers or middlemen, as it has gained notoriety in many sectors, you shouldn’t be surprised the Ghanaian taxpayer is being billed between $18,000 and $22,000 per hour.
“Using the conservative rate of $14,000 per hour, the two trips to the UK and Germany which require some 28 hours of travel distance in and out plus an additional 13 hours of pick up and drop off time, the taxpayer has been burdened again to the colossal tune of $574,000. At the current exchange rate, that is a staggering GH¢3.46 million,” the Facebook post read.