Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa is MP for North Tongu
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, is demanding more answers from the government on matters connected to the use of Ghana’s presidential jet.
The MP, who also serves as the Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, has disclosed that he will file a question in Parliament over the use of the presidential jet by a fellow West African president.
In an interview with Accra-based Citi FM which was monitored by GhanaWeb, Ablakwa submitted: “There is a question targetted at the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration to get her to explain the circumstances under which the Liberian President used our presidential jet and what the terms and conditions were.
“We want to know if this is an imposition of a double financial burden on the Ghanaian taxpayer where we are catering for the president’s insatiable ostentatious lifestyle together with the Liberian president.”
He quizzed: “Or was it the case that the Liberian president was made to pay for it? If he was made to pay, how much did he pay? We need answers to all these questions.”
Ablakwa is set to file the question when Parliament reconvenes and also at a time government has hinted that plans are underway to buy a new presidential jet.
The Liberian president flew to and from Accra for an ECOWAS summit two weeks aboard Ghana’s presidential jet in an arrangement that the presidency confirmed last week. Presidential spokesperson explained that the application for use had been made directly to the office of the president.
In the last few months, Ablakwa has disclosed what he says is President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s use of luxurious chartered flights for trips to Europe and the United States.
Ablakwa alleged that conservative estimates show that the three times the president used chartered flights cost the state about 10 million Ghana cedis. He is concerned that Ghana’s presidential jet remains in mint condition and could have served the purpose and saved the taxpayer