The First Lady of the Republic of Ghana, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo in consultation with her husband, President Akufo-Addo has decided to refund all monies paid to her by the State as allowances from the date of the President’s assumption of office
Calculating from January 2017 to date, the amount she is supposed to refund to the State is GH¢899,097.84.
The First Lady has also decided not to accept any monies that have been allocated to be paid to her according to the recommendations of the Ntiamoah-Baidu Committee, as approved by Parliament.
There is a recommendation by the emoluments committee to place the wives of President Akufo-Addo and Vice President, Dr Bawumia on monthly salaries.
The Committee, headed by Professor Yaa Ntiamoah-Baidu justified their recommendation saying the John President Kufuor had introduced the extension of courtesies, including the payment of monthly allowances to spouses of former Heads of States/Presidents/Vice Presidents and that the gesture remained purely humanitarian and that First and Second Ladies were “evidently struggling to subsist” hence they must be rated on equal terms as cabinet ministers.
The five-member Presidential Emoluments Committee Chaired by Prof. Yaa Ntiamoah-Baidu with Hon. Abraham Osei-Aidoo, Dr. Edward Kwapong, Dr. Eric Oduro Osae and Mrs. Stella Segbawu, as members.
Full Press Release From The First Lady Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo
STATEMENT FROM THE FIRST LADY OF THE REPUBLIC MRS. REBECCA AKUFO-ADDO ON THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COMMITTEE ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 71 OF THE CONSTITUTION
The attention of the First Lady of the Republic, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, has been drawn to the recommendations of the Committee established pursuant to Article 71 of the Constitution (the Prof. Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu Committee), which, among other things, seek to regularize the payment of allowances to spouses of the current President and the Vice President, former Heads of State, Presidents and Vice Presidents, respectively, as part of the privileges due to the President and Vice President under Article 71 of the Constitution.
The First Lady has taken note of the ongoing conversation in the nation, following on from these recommendations and their bipartisan approval by Parliament, as Executive mandated by the Constitution as the body which approves the emoluments.
It is important to state that payment of such allowances existed and was made to previous First Ladies during the 4 Republic, before Mrs Akufo-Addo becoming the First Lady. Mrs Akufo-Addo did not request to be paid any allowance. She only received that which existed and attached to her status, albeit informally.
That notwithstanding, 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-centred 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 Presidents assumption of office, 1.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 pursuant to the recommendations of the Ntiamoa-Baidu Committee, as approved by Parliament. She is doing this as a purely personal decision, without prejudice to the rights of others, and not to undermine the propriety of the process undertaken by Parliament.
The First Lady does not want these matters to serve as a distraction from the good work that the President, who is currently touring the savannah and Upper West regions, is doing to develop our dear nation.
The First Lady will continue to support the President, as she has always done, in the execution of the mandate entrusted to him by the good people of Ghana.
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Korkor Bleboo
Director of Communications – Office of the First Lady