President of the IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, Franklin Cudjoe, is asking the presidency to explain to the citizenry, if the cost of the flight provided by the President’s brother for the President’s recent travels are “classified as a gift to the state and declared.”
Mr. Cudjoe admits Ibrahim Mahama, brother of the President, has in the past, done some public good with his own money at the time his brother served his first term as President, however, Ghanaians deserve to know the state of the recent service provided to the presidency by his brother.
Franklin Cudjoe’s concerns are borne out of previous incidents where the brother of former President Akufo-Addo, Kenneth Ofori-Atta, was said not to be receiving salaries as Minister of Finance, but left the nation bankrupt with his incessant borrowing which he was taking a percentage from.
The recent development has sparked conversations making many raise concerns about issues of conflict of interest.
President Mahama used his brother’s private jet for his recent travels to The Gambia and Senegal. Acting Spokesperson, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, on TV3’s Ghana Tonight Friday, January 17, 2025, explained that the presidency has not yet received the report on the state of the presidential aircraft, and the President, prior to his swearing-in, has been using the Dzata aircraft, saying the recent usage will be at no cost to the state.
In a post on his Facebook Sunday, January 19, 2025, the IMANI boss called on the Acting Spokesperson for the President, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, to come clear and explain to Ghanaians, details of the gesture.
“I understand President John Dramani Mahama recently travelled to the Gambia and Senegal on his brother’s private jet. The Acting spokesman for the president, Hon. Felix Kwakye Ofosu, explained that the visit was at no cost the taxpayer, and l choose to believe it given the president’s brother is a generous man and has done some public good in the past with his own money.
“However, can Hon.Kwakye Ofosu tell us if the cost of this visit was classified as a gift to the state and declared, given that the president’s brother is a private citizen?
“As you are well aware, not long ago, a finance minister under the recently overwhelmingly retired NPP government told us he was not receiving salary, we believed him and look where it ended us- a debt iceberg, ‘pickpocketing’ miserly savings of innocent and defenceless citizens in the name of debt exchange and the coup de grâce, junk-rated economy,” Mr. Cudjoe stated in his message.
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