Gov’t to purchase new presidential jet– Eugene Arhin
Government has made known its plans to buy a new presidential jet to cater for the President’s travel needs abroad.
Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin who made this known to Journalists, Monday 27th September, said the Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul has already begun the processes for Ghana to procure the new jet.
The President has been chastised by the Member of Parliament from North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who maintains Mr Akufo-Addo is wasting taxpayers money on hiring luxurious jets for his foreign trips instead of using the existing one.
Eugene Arhin, in his address to the media noted, “you would recollect that when the government of President Kufuor left office in 2008, it had procured two jets – the current Falcon and a bigger one but for one reason or the other, the bigger jet was cancelled, and we were left with just one. That has happened, but you will recall that the Defence Minister stated clearly that the government has decided to buy a bigger jet to save us from all these troubles.”
“I don’t want to go into the details, but I am sure that when the Minister gets the opportunity, he will give further information on what the government is doing in that respect, but I am sure of the fact that government is already in the process of getting a bigger jet for use”, he disclosed.
The debate on the Presidential Jet was renewed recently after Okudzeto Ablakwa, disclosed that he had filed two other urgent questions demanding disclosure of the full cost of President Akufo-Addo’s trip to the United States.
Mr. Ablakwa is seeking answers as to why the President allegedly chartered a luxurious jet that cost GH¢3.7 million for his recent trip.
“The President has [again] chartered another flight, which cost us GH¢3.7 million. I am filing two other questions on the latest revelations, and I am hoping that this time, the government’s ministers will not pussyfoot and run away from accountability as they have done all of these months,” Mr. Ablakwa said on Eyewitness News.
The Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee had earlier filed two urgent questions in Parliament demanding disclosure of the cost of the President’s foreign travels.
He had earlier alleged that the President spent an amount of GH¢2.8 million on his earlier travels to only South Africa and France using the services of a private jet instead of the presidential jet.
In his latest claim, Mr. Ablakwa said President Nana Akufo-Addo’s three recent foreign trips cost the taxpayer GH¢10 million.
But Eugene has at previous press engagements challenged the MP’s claims, describing them as false.
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