The National Communications Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress, NDC, Sammy Gyamfi has said, the former first and second ladies Mrs. Lordina Mahama and Amissah Arthur were not paid salaries during the tenure of John Mahama rather received monthly allowances paid quarterly to their office.
Sammy Gyamfi said in a statement on his Facebook page that “at no point under President John Dramani Mahama were 1st and 2nd ladies paid salaries. Rather, 1st and 2nd ladies, as well as former 1st and 2nd ladies were paid monthly allowances, as had been the case under predecessors of H.E John Dramani Mahama.
These allowances were paid by the Chief of Staff from the financial allocation of the Office of the President and not the Ministry of Finance. The document being circulated by NPP social media activists is fake.”
He said “the unconstitutional decision by President Akufo-Addo and Dr. Bawumia to pay their spouses a monthly salary equivalent to the salary of a Cabinet Minister, including allowances and other benefits, which they intend to backdate to January 2017, is unprecedented in the history of Ghana. No government in Ghana’s history has ever done that. And no amount of lies or desperate effort calculated at equalizing or rationalizing this selfish and reprehensible move will wash.
President Akufo-Addo should tell us why his government has refused to provide H.E John Dramani with his entitlements such as Residential Accommodation and Office Accommodation since he left office in 2017? He should tell us why his government has refused to take care of the utility bills, medical bills, and other entitlements of the Former President. Shameless people”.
Meanwhile, Ghana’s First Lady Rebecca Akuffo Addo has rejected a recommendation by a Presidential Committee on emoluments for Article 71 Officeholders to put her on GHc33,270.00 monthly salaries.
The First Lady has also served notice to refund Ghc899,097.84 allowances paid her since 2017 by the state.
According to a statement issued on Monday, July 12, 2021, by the office of the First Lady, “the public discussion has been laced with some extremely negative opinions, in some cases, which she finds distasteful, seeking to portray her as a venal, self-serving and self-centered woman, who does not care about the plight of the ordinary Ghanaian.”
“Given this, the First Lady, in consultation with the President of the Republic, has decided to refund all monies paid to her as allowances from the date of the President’s assumption of office, i.e., from January 2017 to date, amounting to GH¢899,097.84.
The First Lady has also decided not to accept any monies that have been allocated to be paid to her under the recommendations of the Ntiamoa-Baidu Committee, as approved by Parliament.”
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com/Obed Ansah
