Former Executive Director for the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) and anti-corruption campaigner, Vitus Azeem, has suggested Ghanaians have every right to seek answers from the President of the Republic, Nana Akufo-Addo, on the cost of his presidential travels.
He deems it mandatory for the government to provide such answers to the public since these costs were incurred with the tax-payers money.
The renowned anti-corruption campaigner opined that, holding the government accountable for the costs of presidential travels is not in any way associated to security issues, and should not be related to relevant information about the president’s travels.
Mr. Azeem deduced that such sheer attempts by the government to avoid questions hinders the democratic ambience of the country and renders mistrust.
Speaking to Samuel Eshun during an interview on the Happy Morning Show, he shared, “I think wanting to know the costs of the Presidential trips has nothing to do with national security. It’s different from seeking answers about when the President would travel to and where he would be going. He’s traveled and returned and we want to know how much it costs. The money used for his travels were from the public purse and the costs involved should be made public. We have the right to demand for accountability from our President and leaders. For any government that claims to be democratic and also claims to protect the public purse, I don’t think it’s the right approach to hide behind the issue of security to escape being held accountable.
I don’t accept the excuse of national security by the sector minister because he has already returned and the money has been spent. So Ghanaians just want to know how much it cost the President to travel. It was from the tax-payers money and they have the right to know, otherwise Ghanaians won’t be convinced to pay more taxes.”
He further mentioned that, it was irrelevant at this moment to have discussions on procuring a new Presidential plane for the President and Executive. He stated, “The government has made it very obvious we don’t need a new presidential jet because they have lent it out to other heads of state. They’ve enjoyed it without any report or complaint so there’s no reason to be looking for a new one.”
By: Jude Tackie
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