From Rawlings to Akufo-Addo: Captain Smart details amount spent on presidential trips under 4th Republic

The cost Ghana incurs whenever a president of the land travels is one issue that has raised many concerns in the last few years.

These concerns from the public border on the other developmental projects these monies being lost to presidential trips could have provided for the country.

According to a broadcast journalist with Onua TV, Captain Smart, previous

Read full articlepresidents and current presidents drain the coffers of the nation after every trip they have embarked on.

Captain explained that Rawlings as a president used about GH¢420,000 per trip.

“During Rawlings’ rule from 1982 to 2001, 7th January when JA Kufuor took over from him, Rawlings was spending GH¢420,000 per trip. You don’t know? JA Kufuor was using a Ford during his reign too and he was also spending GH¢810, 000 per trip. Let’s even add the security details. The president is not supposed to move with less than 100 security personnel. Before a president moves on a trip, there are advance teams of 15 who take the lead and the expenses of these people are taken care of by the state,” he shared.

Captain Smart further shared that there are other security persons who are deployed to the president’s destination before he eventually gets there and these people are likely to be in ten cars; incurring huge fuel cost for the nation.

“Let’s not forget the security that are already deployed to the destination some days earlier; the BNI, CID among others. These are all costly and this is what it means for a president to travel in Ghana. I don’t know how Nana Addo went to the Volta Region recently but if he went with a car, it’s costly. Likewise, a helicopter. When Nana Addo leaves for a trip, he also spends GH¢1.2m. He spends that amount when he moves from Accra to Kumasi and the same when he is returning,” he added.

The Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, in June this year exposed the presidency for spending €20,000 an hour of taxpayers’ money to charter a jet to Belgium.

Ablakwa argued that the cost sustained by the presidency was not necessary and was hurting the national coffers.

The spokesperson for the presidency, Eugene Arhin, however released a presser debunk the report that President Akufo-Addo flew €20,000 an hour jet to Belgium.

Ablakwa, however, challenged the presidency’s inability to deny the president flying an €20,000 an hour jet.

“It is absolutely noteworthy that the statement signed by Mr Eugene Arhin confirms that indeed President Akufo Addo chartered an executive jet. The Presidency's statement did not and could not have denied that they chartered the ostentatious €20,000 an hour ACJ319, registered D-Alex and operated by German-based K5-Aviation,” the MP's statement posted on social media read.

He also said that the explanation given by Arhin that Akufo-Addo travelled to Belgium via a commercial flight makes no difference because the private jet waiting for the president still comes with a cost.

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“To reasonable patriotic Ghanaians, it is certainly immaterial at what point the President who promised to protect the public purse decides to unconscionably and cruelly raid the purse - be it from Accra, Brussels, Kigali, London, Kabul, Nur-Sultan or Tbilisi - the value is the same.

“Mr Eugene Arhin ought to know that when you charter an aircraft, you are billed for the distance covered to arrive at the pick-up point, you are also billed for the waiting period which includes waiting time for the passenger, layover period for crew rest and the return. leg (as this was not an "empty leg" or "dead head" charter),” he said.

BAJ/KPE