President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo flew commercial on his latest trip abroad, North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has disclosed.
According to the lawmaker, who has serially tracked presidential travels since last year, Akufo-Addo and his entourage traveled aboard KLM when he left Accra on September 3 for an official visit to the Netherlands and later to France.
“President Akufo-Addo left Accra on the night of September 3, 2022 aboard KLM after delaying the commercial flight,” Ablakwa’s September 7, 2022 social media post read.
The MP also expressed concern about why and how the presidential jet had been flown to France days before the president left Accra, he asked who had used it for the non-stop journey to Paris.
His post also revisited explanations by the presidency about the ability of the jet to make long-haul flights, the main reason government have advanced to justify Akufo-Addo’s use of plush private jets in the past year for certain categories of trips.
“It is instructive to note that contrary to what Director of Communications at the Presidency, Mr. Eugene Arhin, would want us believe as per his earlier claims that the Presidential Jet is no longer fit to fly direct beyond 6 hours— a dubious claim which now stands discredited; the Presidential Jet on this latest trip was flown direct or non-stop for 6hours and 24minutes to Paris, France,” the post added.
Read the full post below:
I can disclose with absolute certainty and without fear of contradiction that a few days before President Akufo-Addo’s current travel to The Netherlands and France, Ghana’s Presidential Jet — the Falcon 900EX was on Tuesday August 30, 2022 flown non-stop to France for a flight time of 6hours and 24minutes from Accra.
It is instructive to note that contrary to what Director of Communications at the Presidency, Mr. Eugene Arhin, would want us believe as per his earlier claims that the Presidential Jet is no longer fit to fly direct beyond 6 hours— a dubious claim which now stands discredited; the Presidential Jet on this latest trip was flown direct or non-stop for 6hours and 24minutes to Paris, France.
Ghana’s Presidential Jet is still in France as at today the 7th of September, 2022 since landing at the Paris Le Bourget International Airport at 3:20pm on August 30, 2022.
Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo left Accra on the night of September 3, 2022 aboard KLM after delaying the commercial flight.
More fundamentally, government owes the Ghanaian people — who have every right to know — urgent and important clarifications on the following:
1) Who used the Presidential Jet to France and what is the purpose of the trip?
2) Why did government not pursue judiciousness and frugality by harmonizing both travels to save taxpayer funds, particularly in this period of IMF bailout economic crisis, especially considering that the Presidential Jet flew to the same enclave within the same week of the President’s travel?
3) Will President Akufo-Addo exhibit some modicum of prudence and respect for his pledge to protect the public purse by returning home on the 10th of September, 2022 aboard Ghana’s Presidential Jet or the wastefulness will continue with the apparently needless multiple opaque flight arrangements?
Source: ghanaweb
