Disclose cost of presidential diaries – Clement Apaak
Former Presidential Staffer and MP for Builsa South, Dr Clement Apaak wants the government to fully disclose the cost and other details of the presidential diaries produced in 2017 and 2018.
According to him, the Presidency owes it a duty to provide such details especially when the President in opposition made significant political capital out of the production of diaries under President Mahama.
Speaking to the press, Dr Apaak asked the government to publish the cost for presidential diaries. “When we were in power, and we produced presidential diaries, the then NPP and Akuffo Addo had issues with that. Akuffo Addo alleged that we had spent 10 million dollars to produce presidential diaries and since he has taken over the reins of this country, this is the second one they are producing. They produced one for 2017 and 2018.
“So the question is how much did it cost them 10 million to produce? Which copies were produced? Was there competitive tendering and if yes how many copies were produced? These are simple questions I want to ask the presidency because it is not proper to accuse your predecessors of an offence you could not justify and then you go on and also produce a diary, so we want him to come clear and let the people of Ghana know how much it cost to produce 2017 and 2018 diaries.”
Presidential diaries an avenue to steal money
The NPP, while in opposition criticised the then government’s plans to order 2017 presidential diaries, saying it was just another avenue to syphon money from the state coffers.
The NPP raised these concerns when the then Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah signed a contract with JIT Services Limited to publish diaries for the government even though it was not evident that the NDC and President Dramani Mahama will be in power after the 2016 December polls.
The then Deputy Communications Director of NPP, Anthony Abayifa Karbo questioned why the NDC was planning to order presidential diaries at the time when the next President was unknown.
He said the move was just an attempt by the governing NDC to make money.
Source: citinewsroom
