A report, that indicated that ministers receive a monthly allowance and salaries totaling GHc22, 500 has ignited the anger of some ministers in the Mahama government.
[contextly_sidebar id=”MSVP3Pa89nlZIQkfrnMtrRiu2Uxsayw0″]The Chronicle newspaper on Tuesday gave a breakdown of emoluments received by ministers of state adding that basic salary of a minister was GHC 10,000, duty allowance, GHC 5,000, special allowance, GHC 3,000, entertainment allowance, GHC 3,500 and wardrobe allowance, GHC 1,000 which adds up to GHC 22,500.
The issue however raised a public outcry.
But speaking on Eyewitness News, a Deputy Minister of Water Resources Works and Housing, Sampson Ahi rejected the claims saying “there is nothing like extra duty allowance, so I don’t know why Chronicle is reducing their paper to this level.”
He further insisted that “there is nothing like wardrobe allowance, there is nothing like entertainment allowance, I’m hearing this for the first time.”
Mr Ahi who is also a Member of Parliament for Bodi Constituency in the Western Region argued that, “as we speak, ever since I became a minister I have been depending on my salary as a Member of Parliament and I can mention a lot of my colleagues who are doing the same.”
The Deputy Minister explained that apart from his basic salary as an MP which is Gh¢7,200, the only benefit he gets for his position is for traveling where “the minister will arrange for fuel for my vehicle. That’s all.”
He however called on the Chronicle newspaper to render an unqualified apology to Ghanaians and government saying “it will be in their own interest for them to do that.”
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By: Godwin Allotey Akweiteh/citifmonline.com/Ghana