An elder statesman Captain Joel Sowu (retired) has said he is “ashamed” by the “shabby” manner in which ex-president John Mahama has been treated in connection with his request to keep his official bungalow as part of his retirement package.

Mr Mahama withdrew his request after the new government denied there had been any agreement with the outgoing government – as claimed by Mr Mahama’s side of the transition team – for him to continue occupying the property and keep it as part of his retirement package.

Speaking about the controversy on Class91.3FM’s Executive Breakfast Show hosted by Moro Awudu on Monday, 16 January, the ex-military man said: “To me, the whole saga that happened, I’m ashamed as a citizen of this country that we should treat an ex-president in such a shabby manner. It’s not something that I am happy about. It shouldn’t happen.”

To avoid a repeat of such controversy in the future, Captain Sowu suggested: “No president should be given a house because the civil servant who has worked for 30 years, when he is going home [on retirement] doesn’t even get [that privilege].”

According to him, instead of giving houses to ex-presidents, the state must build a presidential complex which they can use for official purposes.

“If we as a country, we say if you are the president we even buy your shoes, we buy your lace, we buy your shirt, every food, we provide everything, at the end of the day we evacuate whatever it is you put in the manhole, we even pay for it. But when you are going, you are entitled to this X amount of money, no house, nothing, because we have provided everything for you, so bye bye, [if] we have that as a policy, there’s no way anybody will say I want to stay in this house in the first place...” he said.


Source: Ghana/ClassFMonline.com