An American writer and publisher, Stan Lee once said that with great power comes great responsibility, and with those, above all, comes accountability.
But certainly, accountable leadership and former President John Mahama have no correlation.
John Mahama talks a lot about wasteful public spending. But how careful is he with the public money?
Well, I did some digging and it turns out Mahama is not as careful with public money in his own life.
Indeed, Mr Mahama had been claiming expenses on his current residential property and emolument since 2017 and could have received as much as ¢ 18 million from the taxpayer, and an additional GH¢14 million ex gratia.
In fact, the state has, so far, spent ¢18.5 million on former President John Mahama in terms of salary and his end-of-service benefits since he left office in 2017.
Mahama, apart from the GH¢14 million ex gratia, has, since 2017, received a total of GH¢18.5 million from the state as salary and emoluments combined.
More to the point, Mr Mahama retired on a salary of GH¢22,809, up from the non-taxable salary of GH¢15,972 previously approved for presidents. However, he now receives GH¢ 35,000 monthly due to the recent increase in emoluments as recommended by the Presidential Emoluments Committee on the conditions of service of Article 71 officeholders’ report.
Essentially, since Mahama was voted out of office in 2017, he has received a non-taxable salary of GH¢1,934,832.00. He has also received GH¢9,123.00 monthly as rent. This means that since 2017, when Ghanaians voted against John Mahama, Mahama has received an accommodation allowance totalling GH¢629,487.00
Additionally, Mr Mahama, while on retirement still receives benefits such as state-provided staff not exceeding four (4) including Joyce Bawa Mogtari and Felix Ofosu Kwakye, who receive GH¢ 9,000 every month as allowances and a furnished and up-to-date office located at the Cantonments in Accra and communication equipment and staff support consisting of a cook, steward and gardener.
For transport, President Mahama has been given two Toyota Land Cruiser V8 vehicles, a chauffeur, maintained and comprehensively insured by the State and changed every four years for life.
Each V8 cost GH¢ 800,000.00, therefore, for transportation, the state spends over GH¢1.6M on Mr Mahama.
Also, the state fuels each vehicle weekly at a cost of GH¢2,000, thereby amounting to GH¢324,000 since he was voted out of office in 2017.
In terms of overseas official travel, the state has funded 18 trips of former president Mahama amounting to over $1,000,000.00 equivalent to about GH¢9.2M.
In all, we are talking about some GH¢32 million state money that the former President has greedily enjoyed.
It is important to note that Mr John Mahama is the only President in the Fourth Republic who has received such huge ex gratia and, as a matter of fact, he continues to receive an unprecedented end-of-service package which no former president has ever enjoyed.
I don’t even want to go into all the emoluments that this ingrate of a former president has enjoyed from his days as Assemblyman, Member of Parliament, Deputy Minister, Minister, Vice President and President of Ghana.
At this opportune time, I don’t know what’s more heartbreaking; Mahama’s gluttonous self-indulgence or his hypocrisy and double standard. I guess the political correctness raison d’etre; is something that’s legal but yet immoral.
In fact, it’s always interesting to know in these recessionary times when everyone is struggling, that Mr Mahama is actually draining the state while at the same time campaigning to be president again.
Mahama doesn’t practise what he preaches and can never be as careful with public funds as they would be with their own
This is a man who continues to talk about hardship in this country. He claims things are hard in the country and yet continues to rake in emoluments from the state.
The sheer dishonesty of Mahama and his gluttony alone makes me want to throw up.
He is so vile, so disgusting and a blood-sucking parasite, but worst of all he is so out of touch with reality. No redemption, but eternal damnation.
How comfortable would anyone feel with another Mahama presidency, with such a level of scam and greed?
Obviously, the country doesn’t need such an irredeemable man as president ever again.
Shame on Mr Mahama for shouting on the rooftop that the country is in recession, and yet has no problem feeding on the state.
Shame on you, Mr Mahama, not just for your own greed but also for the knock-on effects for the rest of us.
Ernest Kofi Owusu Bempah
Deputy Director of Communications, NPP
