The Minister of Defence, Dominic Nitiwul says President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has not travelled in a rented private jet within the last three months, as part of the government’s efforts at cutting down on government expenditure.
“Over the last three months, the President has not flown in his rented private jet. He uses a commercial jet. I know that as a fact. We all recognise the situation we find ourselves in, and everybody must bring down his expectations,” he told Citi News‘ Umaru Amadu Sanda during an interview on Thursday, July 7, 2022.
He however said the president’s recent use of a chartered flight from Belgium to Kigali was an exceptional case.
He explained that it was due to the strike in the Belgian aviation sector and subsequent flight cancellations at the time.
“Sometimes when the President is going for a particular program, the difficulty arises when he is supposed to arrive at a particular time and is delayed by using public transport.”
“However, the President has not used a private jet in the last three months. The only exception was when he was in Brussels, he used Air France, but he was having difficulties getting an aircraft to continue his journey,” he noted.
Mr. Nitiwul indicated that the government has resorted to other austere measures, including slashing the salaries of Ministers to shore up enough revenue.
“The Ministers will not live the same way they do. Ministers’ salaries have been slashed by 30 percent…The government is slashing expenditure.”
President Nana Akufo-Addo’s travels in private jets have been a bone of contention between the government and some members of the Minority.
The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has been at the forefront of a crusade to prevent President Nana Addo Akufo-Addo from using chartered flights for foreign trips.
According to him, the President has so far spent GH¢34 million of taxpayers’ funds on chartered flights between May 2021 and now.
Through a series of questions on the floor of Parliament, Okudzeto Ablakwa has been demanding accountability and questioning why the Presidential Jet has seemingly been jettisoned.