‘No president can even shower in the presidential jet’ – Nitiwul on Akufo-Addo’s private jet use

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Dominic Nitiwul, Minister for DefenceDominic Nitiwul, Minister for Defence

•Minister of Defence has said the president deserves more than the Falcon jet

•He said the presidential Falcon jet is unfit for Akufo-Addo’s business trips

•Akufo-Addo has been accused of renting a jet that cost £15,000 an hour

The Minister for Defence, Dominic Nitiwul, has said the president’s safety is the most important factor considered when deciding the type of aircraft for his trips.

According to him, the current presidential jet is challenged with limited passenger and luggage capacity, fueling issues, among others.

Addressing Parliament on the airworthiness of the presidential jet, Dominic Nitiwul indicated that, the president cannot even take his shower on the aircraft.

“This aircraft will carry a load of 11 persons minus the crew. When this aircraft is travelling to the eastern part of the USA or Asia, it will not load a crew of more than eight plus the luggage. So it depends on where it is going. Secondly, I have also said the aircraft has to do refuelling stops, and also in this COVID-19, when you are travelling to multiple destinations like the president’s recent travel, the Falcon couldn’t have been taken because he would have had to do technical stops which are not desirable.

He added that the president works hard enough to rake in money for the country, hence deserves more than a Falcon.

When he is travelling with more than 20 people like he has been doing for business trips that brought huge sums of money for this country, he will need more than just a Falcon, otherwise, the others would have to go a day ahead before the president to prepare themselves.”

“In fact, the president would also have to go a day ahead because no president can shower in this aircraft. He cannot move from this aircraft straight into a meeting.”

The North Tongu lawmaker has claimed President Akufo-Addo has spent an amount of GH ¢2.8 million on his recent travels to only South Africa and France, using the services of a private jet.

“The Airbus ACJ320neo owned by Acropolis Aviation based in Farnborough, UK and registered as G-KELT, is the most luxurious and the most expensive in the Acropolis fleet. The manufacturers describe it as ‘the most outstanding ambassador for Airbus Corporate Jets.’ It costs the Ghanaian taxpayer approximately £15,000 an hour when President Akufo-Addo rents it,” Samuel Okudzeto alleged in a post on Facebook.

He accused the President of blowing the money “to satisfy his insatiable appetite and comfort at the expense of the suffering masses”.

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