86-year old Sam Okudzeto shadow boxes nephew, 41, over Akufo-Addo’s extravagant lifestyle

The demand for accountability on the full cost of President Nana Akufo-Addo’s trips abroad on rented private jet, by the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has wrecked the raw nerves of his 86-year uncle, Samuel Awuku Okudzeto, who is gone to town shadow boxing his nephew and other Ghanaians.

According to the bigger Okudzeto, who is a Council of State member, Ghanaians must stop criticizing President Akufo-Addo’s travels abroad and focus on the benefits such trips bring to the country.

The younger Okudzeto had been at the forefront demanding that Mr Akufo-Addo, provide details on his foreign trips including the latest to the US for the United Nations General Assembly, on the same chartered ultra-luxury aircraft he used to the UK and Germany; the Luxembourg-based luxury jet registered LX-DIO, operated by Global Jet Luxembourg.

According to the North Tongu, at US$14,000 an hour, Ghanaians should be expecting to pay US$616,000; that is GHS3.7million by the president’s return.

But his uncle, a former chair of the International Advisory Commission of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative and a member of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association, insisted that the wholesale attacks on President Akufo-Addo over the cost of his travels is not productive and does not help the country.

“When he was going to Germany, there was hue and cry. ‘Why is he travelling? He takes these expansive planes? It cost so much per day.’ People do not understand what diplomacy is all about. Diplomacy is an expensive process, but there are always benefits,” Mr Okudzeto said who was once a former Member of Parliament in the Second Republic.

“The president cannot sit down there in the Jubilee House and think all these [benefits] will just be coming to us. I don’t think it [attacks] is productive and helps the country,” he added.

He noted that presidents all over the world are travelling and with Nana Akufo-Addo, “he was invited by the people so he has to go. We spend more time criticising than sometimes looking at the benefit that comes to us because we don’t even study the system.”

The Octogenarian, in an interview with Accra-based Joy FM said “as a nation we can agree on certain basic principles so that we all operate upon it instead of these attacks”.

The North Tongu MP, had disclosed that Nana Akufo-Addo’s latest trip to the United States was costing the taxpayer US$14,000 an hour, meaning Ghanaians should be expecting to pay US$616,000; that is GHS3.7million by the time the president returns.

The NDC MP noted that while Nana Akufo-Addo, was travelling in a luxurious jet at the expense of the taxpayer, Ghana’s presidential Jet was being used by Liberian President George Weah.

“Our monitoring reveals that President Weah landed at the Roberts International Airport (Robertsfield) in Liberia onboard Ghana’s Falcon at 10:00GMT on 18 September 2021. It was the second time in the same week the Liberian leader was exclusively using our presidential jet,” he stated in a post on Facebook.

The MP, further said a cumulative sum of President Akufo-Addo’s recent three luxury trips abroad imposes a colossal GHS10 million on the Ghanaian taxpayer.

This is not the first time Mr Ablakwa, has raised concerns over the cost the nation incurs anytime the President travels abroad and hires a luxurious jet for his trip.

Mr Ablakwa, said he would file another urgent question in Parliament, demanding full disclosure on the cost of the President’s foreign travels.

“The President has [again] chartered another flight which cost us GHS 3.7 million. I am filing two other questions on the latest revelations and I am hoping that this time, the government Ministers will not pussyfoot and run away from accountability as they have done all of these months,” Mr. Ablakwa said on citi FM.

The Ranking Member on Foreign Affairs Committee, had earlier filed two urgent questions in Parliament demanding disclosure of the cost details of the President’s foreign travels.

He had earlier alleged that the President spent an amount of GHS2.8 million on his earlier travels to only South Africa and France using the services of a private jet instead of the presidential jet.

In his latest claim, Mr Ablakwa, said President Nana Akufo-Addo’s three recent foreign trips cost the taxpayer GH GH₵10 million.

“For just these three round trips, the President is imposing GHS 10 million [on the taxpayer],” Mr. Ablakwa complained.

He could not fathom, why the President had resorted to a luxurious jet at the neglect of the Falcon 900 EX.

The President and senior government officials are expected to use the 16-seater Falcon 900 EX which was acquired in 2010 at a cost $37 million.