Ghanaians Have a Right to Know President’s Expenditure On Travels …Security Expert

Security expert, Adib Sani, has said that demands for accountability in regards to the cost of the President’s travels are within the rights of Ghanaians to know.

In an interview on Accra-based Happy FM, Mr. Sani contends that claims by the government that the cost of presidential travels should remain a national secret and therefore should not be requested for is unconscionable.

“We have every right to question the cost of presidential travels unless maybe it is a secret mission that is not supposed to be known. But if it is an ECOWAS summit or any international event, it is within the right of Ghanaians as enshrined by the law to demand accountability from politicians,” he said.

Recently, Akufo-Addo’s Minister of State for Interior, Bryan Acheampong who doubles as the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, said he advised the National Security Minister not to make details of the President’s foreign travels, public.

This was after MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, had filed two urgent questions demanding for the Ghanaian Parliament to be apprised with the costs of the President’s travels.

Hon. Ablakwa had filed the questions, especially in the quest to know exactly how much Mr. Akufo-Addo has blown on private chartered jets which he has resorted to after abandoning the official presidential jet.

“In my capacity as a Member of Parliament with some knowledge on security matters, I have advised the Minister for National Security to continue to keep the information on the Presidential travel secret,” Bryan Acheampong said.

He insisted that the figures should be classified as top secret.

According to him, the question by the MP is needless, advising that Ghanaians ought to rather be concerned about the safety of the President and not how much he spends on junketing.

But according to Mr. Adib Sani, the Minister of State is absolutely wrong. “We put the politicians where they are and they must account for it because we finance every single thing to the last pesewa. So, when I see people celebrate a politician for asphalting the roads, it shows us the level of low expectation Ghanaians have. Our expectations are despicable. It is the responsibility of politicians to use our money to construct roads and toilet facilities.”

Meanwhile, security analyst, Dr. Ishmael Norman, has said that the cost of the president’s travels can be made known but not the details per trip.

“I don’t think the quantum of money to be spent is a top-secret because it is a burden on the national purse and Ghanaians need to know. However, the details per trip should not be available to the public,” he told Accra-based Joy News.

According to him, the amount allocated in the annual budget statement is a good place where Ghanaians can guesstimate how much the President spends on trips.

 “I’m sure that the budget will have a quantum of money that the President will spend on international travel. Ghana budget will have that otherwise, how do you finance those trips. But it shouldn’t be available to everybody,” he said on November 24.

He however wondered why Mr. Akufo-Addo loves traveling so much

“Why does our President have the need to travel so much when a powerful, richer country like China, the premier does not travel and does everything by Zoom including international diplomacy,” he said.