President Akufo-Addo is personally financing his eight-day holiday trip to the United Kingdom (UK), spokesperson for the Presidency, Eugene Arhin has said.
The disclosure follows claims by some critics of government that the state was sponsoring the trip.
“It’s never ever true that government is financing President’s vacation trip…the fact remains that this is not a state sponsored trip because the President is financing it himself,” he said on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen of Friday.
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He was accompanied by the First Lady, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, his children and grandchildren.
A communicator of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi had chastised the President for taken his family abroad for vacation.
According to him, this trip was a waste of the tax payer’s money as according to him, it was unprecedented that a President will embark on a trip with his entire extended family.
Reacting to this, Eugune Antwi said the President deserves applause for financing his own trip.
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Arhin stated that the President refused to use the Presidential jet and instead, embarked on the trip on board British Airways.
“It’s never ever true that government is financing President’s vacation trip, the President used commercial flight, British airways which he paid for himself,” he said.
The Director of Communications at the Presidency added that the President was also paying for his own accommodation in London as well.
“The President is also paying for his own accommodation in London, so if anyone for political expediency says government is funding it, it is completely false…anyone daring me, should tell me how much is costing the state,” he added.
Arhin added that he needed to give out details of the trip because of the political mischief from the NDC.
“There was the need to put out all the details of the President traveling with his wife, and family in the letter because it was to Parliament…he made it clear that he is going to finance his own trip and that is what he has done…,” he said.
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To Arhin, the President deserved commendation for deciding to pay for his own trip.
“We should rather applaud him for that move. It is no news for him because when he was an Attorney General, he was doing same…,” he said.
Arhin’s explanation could however not convince Sammy Gyamfi who insisted his sources at the Jubilee House claim that government financed the vacation trip.
“He should say that to the marines because it is not true, the mere fact he did not travel with the presidential jet doesn’t mean he financed his trip,” he said.