President Akufo-Addo Covertly Rides Luxurious Jet On North Carolina, London Trips; Ablakwa Reveals
Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament and MP for North Tongu Constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has revealed that President Akufo-Addo is ferrying in LX-DIO, a jet that costs US$18,000 an hour for his trip to the United States and United Kingdom.
President Akufo-Addo left Ghana on Thursday, March 31, for North Carolina at the invitation of Bishop T. D. Jakes to deliver keynotes at this year’s International Leadership Summit on April 1, and later travel to London to launch his flagship tourism drive dubbed “Destination Ghana” and hold bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
“President Akufo-Addo has for the umpteenth time ignored the precarious state of the Ghanaian economy and abandoned Ghana’s US$36million presidential jet in favour of his most cherish ultra-luxury toy- the LX-DIO which now rents for US$18,000 an hour”, the NDC MP broke the news in a statement.
According to the legislator, the President used a “meet-me-there-strategy” by boarding a United Airlines Boeing 787-8 Dreamerliner to Washington on Thursday night to meet the rented expensive jet on Friday.
“Before the president landed at 6:40 am at Dulles International Airport in Washington on 1st April, the ubiquitous luxury LX-DIO had landed at the same airport the previous day at 12:27 pm waiting for President Akufo-Addo”, the North Tongu MP said.
He added, “The president kept the LX-DIO with him as he addressed Bishop T. D. Jakes’ summit and then flew aboard the same extravagant jet yesterday the 2nd of April 2022 at 9:28 am US time and arriving at London Stansted Airport at 9:40 pm UK time. A flight time of some 7hours 54minutes”.
Ablakwa noted that “so far, the Ghanaian taxpayer must cough out an astronomical US$465,000 in luxury rental charges. At the current exchange that is a scary GHc 3,505,515.49.
He averred that the President’s travels in rented luxurious Jets have cost the taxpayer some GHc28.5million since 2021.
President Akufo-Addo is expected to be back in Ghana on Wednesday, April 6.
Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini
