Minority Foreign Affairs Spokesperson and Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has challenged Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to explain to Ghanaians why his office spent GHS4.05 million on urgent and other emergency activities.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa wonders why the Office of the Vice President would be given such a large sum of money for emergencies, whereas the National Fire Service, NADMO, and the National Ambulance Service have been deprived of adequate resources for their work.
“Vice President Alhaji Bawumia appears determined not to be left out. His office has on three occasions between January and September 2022 demanded what is simply described in the expenditure documents as release of funds for “URGENT AND OTHER EMERGENCIES ACTIVITIES” (wondering why emergencies and not emergency, and most importantly what exactly those emergencies and urgent matters were?). For the period under consideration and from GIFMIS Code 2210909 — a whopping GHS4.05million (4,050,227.18) of taxpayer funds from suffering Ghanaians was cumulatively released for the Vice President’s “emergency activities.”
“Quite obviously, the Ghana Fire Service, NADMO and the National Ambulance Service would wish they were as resourced for real emergencies as the Vice President’s office is.”
In light of this, he wants the Vice President to account for the expenditure and explain to Ghanaians how the money was spent.
“In the true spirit of transparency and accountability, I expect the Vice President’s office to immediately clarify to the Ghanaian people what those emergency expenditures are. I sincerely do hope that we aren’t witnessing blatant abuse of incumbency where our taxes are being funneled into the Vice President’s presidential campaign under the dubious claim of emergency activities.”
Meanwhile, he has served notice that the Minority will demand accountability for these expenditures.
“Moving forward, the NDC Caucus in Parliament shall be paying keener attention to these strange expenditure patterns both in the President’s office and the Vice President’s office.”
He made the remarks in a 10-item expenditure summary of the presidency.
He admonished the president to heed calls to reduce the size of his appointees.
“The Akufo-Addo/Bawumia/Ofori-Atta government must definitely listen to the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference and indeed all Ghanaians by sincerely departing from the obscene profligacy, particularly at the ostentatious Presidency where we will expect true burden sharing and frugal leadership by example at this time of government-inflicted economic crisis.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
