President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has revealed that his quest to get a detailed breakdown of the luxurious VIP Jet chartered by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for international trips is in the interest of the nation.
“It is important to stress that as Members of Parliament, our constitutional mandate is to ensure that we carry oversight that our mandate which is to keep the Executives in check is pursued diligently. That is my interest. It’s nothing personal,” the ranking member on the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament stated on Joy FM’s Top Story MyNewsGh.com monitored.
This comes after some Ghanaians are said to reading political meanings into the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) lawmaker’s consistent demand of amount the President Akufo-Addo is spending on foreign trips
“I have nothing against the security of the President, I wish the President well, his safety must always be paramount. That’s why all aviation experts you’ll talk to will tell you it is much safer, much secure to travel in your presidential jet,” the former Minister of State told Emefa Apau.
Charted Luxurious VIP Jet to UN General Assembly
The lawmaker in a recent Facebook post indicated that the President charted another luxurious VIP jet o his trip to the USA for the UN General Assembly.
“I can authoritatively confirm without a scintilla of doubt or any equivocation for that matter that President Akufo-Addo on his current trip to the United States of America has again chartered the same ultra-luxury aircraft he used to the UK and Germany — the Luxembourg-based luxury jet registered LX-DIO and operated by Global Jet Luxembourg. Same Boeing 737-900ER BBJ3 with Manufacturer Serial Number (MSN) 62515 and Line Number 5659.
“The blue and white LX-DIO’s features have not changed: 19-seater luxury jet which has a HEX code 4D0213 which is configured VIP has 2x CFMI engines and was delivered to the current operators in November 2015.
“As is now well known, this luxury monster comes equipped with multiple sections to guarantee exceptional comfort. It provides a VIP lounge for relaxation, Five-Star dining facilities, a Royal Master bedroom, a Cinema Room specially delineated for watching movies which is a separate accessory from other in-flight entertainment systems, and of course complete with a luxury shower.”
He added, “while the Ghanaian taxpayer is being burdened with the bills from the President’s insatiable and unconscionable appetite for obscene luxury, it is obvious the struggling taxpayer is additionally being saddled with extra presidential travel cost from at least one other President who has happily discovered the availability of the Ghanaian Presidential Jet.”