Akufo-Addo’s Expensive Travels Is State Secret, Not Even Parliament Need To Know

…National Security Minister

President Akufo-Addo’s travelogues whether in the present, in the past, or in the future, is a top-tier state secret that even Parliament cannot know about, according to National Security Minister, Albert Kan Dapaah.

“Mr Speaker, recent official travels to France, Belgium, and South Africa by His Excellency the President are paid for out of the operational funds from the Ministry of National Security…Payments out of the ministry’s operational funds are glued with rules of confidentiality and state secrecy and it is not the normal practice…to make the suggested disclosures,” Kan Dapaah said.

Consequently, Parliament was refused highly sought-after accountability on how much the President’s outrageous indulgences, including abandoning the official presidential jet for a US$14,000 per hour private one, has cost the taxpayer.

Kan Dapaah had appeared before Parliament on account of questions filed by North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who has been asking for months to know how much the president’s travels has and is costing the state.

Ablakwa has been mainly motivated by the President’s taste for expensive private jets. Mr. Akufo-Addo in just a couple of weeks is said to have blown more than Ghc10million on junketing around in one of the most expensive private jets in the world.

The North Tongu MP, who has been unhappy about the wastage has been on a crusade to have the government account. He had actually served notice of intent to file questions in Parliament while the House was still on recess.

And ever since Parliament resumed, he has been filing the questions, but the Akufo-Addo government has only stonewalled him.

Before Kan Dapaah, Minister of State for National Security, Bryan Acheampong had told Parliament that he had advised Kan Dapaah not to reveal details to MPs, claiming the president’s travels should be top-shelf National secret that the public must not know.

“I advised the Minister of National Security to keep the information on presidential travels secret. It is not every information that can be divulged to the public. Hitherto, it was information that can be shared but it is no longer information that can be played in the Political arena,” Acheampong said.