The Minister of Defence, Dominic Nitiwul has justified the use of a private jet by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on his recent travels to France, Belgium, and South Africa. According to the Minister, £15,000 per hour jet was necessitated by the insufficiency of the Presidential Jet.
He argued that the Presidential Jet is not conducive for long distance travels.
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Hon. Nitiwul said this when he appeared in Parliament to answer questions posed by the NDC MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
He argued the Presidential jet is handicapped in handling long-distance travels which will require refueling. He also revealed that the jet lacks enough luggage capacity as well as a place for the president to shower while onboard the presidential jet.
“The decision to travel to long and multiple destinations such as the president traveling to France, Belgium and South Africa, will always require a larger aircraft even when the Falcon is airworthy…When the President is traveling with more than 20 people for a business trip…you will need more than just a Falcon, otherwise, the people will have to go more than a day ahead of the president to prepare themselves.
“The president himself must go more than a day ahead to prepare himself because no president can shower in this aircraft, so you can’t move from this aircraft straight into a meeting,” Mr Nitiwul said in Parliament on Wednesday.
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The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa in a Facebook post last month alleged that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo spent a whopping Ghc2.8m on a private jet on his recent trips to France and Johannesburg.
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The ranking member on the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament alleged that the president decided to rent an aircraft that cost the Ghanaian taxpayer £15,000 an hour.