Presidential Jet In France For Repair Works; Eugene Arhin Reacts To Ablakwa Queries
The Director for Communication at the Jubilee House, Eugene Arhin has reacted to the questions put out by the Member of Parliament for North Tongu constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa over the deployment of the Presidential Jet to France ahead of President Akufo’s working visit there.
Arhin notes that the presidential jet is in France for repair works which are long overdue.
According to him, no one used the presidential jet except the crew made up of pilots from the Ghana Air Force.
He added that the jet will remain in France till December 2022.
“Indeed, the Presidential Jet departed Ghana on 30th August to France for major repair works to be carried out on it – repair works which are very much long overdue. The Air Force has indicated that the Presidential Jet will be out of service for a total of four (4) months, and will return to Ghana and be available for use in December.
“It will be recalled that in May this year, the Minister for Defence, Hon. Dominic Nitiwul, alerted Ghanaians to the fact that the Presidential Jet would be flown to France for major repair works to be undertaken on it”, a part a statement from Arhin said.
Background
Member of Parliament for North Tongu Constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa on September 7 developed a set of questions over the current trip of President Akufo-Addo to the Netherlands and France.
Unlike past submissions about the trip, this did not target the luxurious nature of the flight the president chartered but the use of the Presidential jet.
The legislator explained that ahead of the president’s trip to the Netherlands on September 3, 2022, the presidential jet was deployed to France from Accra and remained there till September 7, 2022.
He indicated that the jet made a 6hours and 24minutes trip to Paris, France without stopping anywhere.
The president, he said, travelled by KLM airline after delaying a commercial flight.
The Member of Parliament believes this amounts to frugality at the expense of the citizens and therefore developed three questions for the government to answer over the trip.
“Who used the Presidential Jet to France and what is the purpose of the trip?; Why did government not pursue judiciousness and frugality by harmonizing both travels to save taxpayer funds, particularly in this period of IMF bailout economic crisis, especially considering that the Presidential Jet flew to the same enclave within the same week of the President’s travel?; and Will President Akufo-Addo exhibit some modicum of prudence and respect for his pledge to protect the public purse by returning home on the 10th of September, 2022 aboard Ghana’s Presidential Jet or the wastefulness will continue with the apparently needless multiple opaque flight arrangements?”, he queried.
Below Is The Full Statement From Arhin:
My attention has been drawn to a Facebook post made by Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa regarding the use of the presidential jet, and my responses are as follows:
- Contrary to the insinuations being cast by the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, no one “used the Presidential Jet to France”, and no one is using the Presidential Jet in France. The only persons who flew the jet to France are the crew made up of pilots from the Ghana Air Force.
- Indeed, the Presidential Jet departed Ghana on 30th August to France for major repair works to be carried out on it – repair works which are very much long overdue. The Air Force has indicated that the Presidential Jet will be out of service for a total of four (4) months, and will return to Ghana and be available for use in December. It will be recalled that in May this year, the Minister for Defence, Hon. Dominic Nitiwul, alerted Ghanaians to the fact that the Presidential Jet would be flown to France for major repair works to be undertaken on it. (https://www.myjoyonline.com/presidential-jet-to-undergo…/)
- In view of this, how Hon. Ablakwa expects President Akufo-Addo to return to Ghana on Saturday, 10th September, from his current trip to the Netherlands and France on board the Presidential Jet, which is undergoing major repair works and is scheduled to return to Ghana in December, beats my imagination.
- I would urge Hon. Ablakwa to minimize his penchant for engaging in propaganda regarding the Presidential Jet, to avoid further embarrassments to his person.
Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini
