Ablakwa’s Parliamentary question on the cost of Presidential travels missing
The Minister for Defence, Dominic Nitiwul has since been trolled heavily on social media for suggesting that the President’s luxurious private jet travels were justified by the lack of a shower room on Ghana’s Presidential jet.
Joana Somiah 
Scheduled Parliamentary question to probe the cost of President Akufo-Addo’s recent controversial official travels to France, Belgium, and South Africa, is conspicuously missing on the order paper for Parliament’s sittings for Thursday, June 17, 2021, after a previous day’s bruhaha on the subject.
The urgent question which was filed by the Minority spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa read, “To ask the Minister for Finance how much the President’s recent official travels to France, Belgium, and South Africa in May this year cost the Ghanaian taxpayer.”
The Government of President Akufo-Addo has come under a lot of flack for allegedly renting a top of the range 15,000 Pounds an hour luxurious private jet for his recent working visit outside the country.
The urgent question was advertised on the order paper for the previous day Wednesday, June 16, 2021, to be taken on the next sitting day on Thursday. However, a printed copy of the order paper for Thursday’s sitting sighted so far, does not contain the said urgent question.
It is not clear why all the other questions which were advertised earlier have all been scheduled for the day except this particular question which borders on the Presidential travels.
Curiously, two urgent questions were advertised for the Finance Minister to provide answers to, but only one question was scheduled to be addressed by him on the floor of the House.
It must also be noted that criticisms of the President’s travels in the luxurious jet went up a notch higher on Wednesday, June 17, 2021, when the Minister for Defence, Dominic Nitiwul appeared before Parliament to answer questions concerning the airworthiness of the country’s Presidential Jet, Falcon 900 EXE.
The Minister in his answer indicated that though the Presidential Jet is airworthy, it is too small for the President’s entourage and does not have a shower to enable the President to freshen up before disembarking for his official meetings.
The Minister has since been trolled heavily on social media for suggesting that the President’s luxurious private jet travels were justified by the lack of a shower room on Ghana’s Presidential jet.
E K Ansah, Parliament
