The former president made a request to keep Bungalow No.3 in Cantonments, Accra, which is the official residence for Vice Presidents, and its adjoining facilities.

He also wants Bungalow No.6 at Ridge as his office.

Mahama is using this residence controversy to distract us from demanding our money. We won't budge.

— Eliseu el Dragao (@Sobolo_Ranger) January 9, 2017

Mahama must pack his toys into a cute Ghana-must-go and leave the residence
We can't kowtow to ur demands#Mahamamustgo

— Chelsea's Zion Gee (@Ziongee) January 10, 2017

Ghanaians will b disappointed if Nana Addo gives vice president residence to Mahama as ex gratia .He shd live the place immediately.

— Nasam Joshua Kwabena (@NasamJoshua) January 3, 2017

The only ex-president who want to acquire the official residence of the second in command. Mr.Mahama's greediness is too deep!

— Bonti Benjamin (@bonti_benjamin) January 9, 2017

Mahama in 2013 said no minister will be allowed to buy a state house.
Mahama in 2017 wants to keep Vice President's residence.
Patriot!

— Kantong (@SulleyGH) January 9, 2017

Nana govt shd make mistake given vice president residence to Mahama. No we will not accept that.

— Nasam Joshua Kwabena (@NasamJoshua) January 3, 2017

Whiles several Ghanaians have largely condemned the development on social media, a few of them who spoke to Citi News on the President’s request, said granting his request would not be prudent.

One citizen said “President Mahama hasn’t done the nation any good. If he was patriotic, he would put the nation first. If every state institution or state property was to be handled in such a way that when you are leaving office, because you like it, you take it, I don’t think we are going to have anything.”

“It is wrong that the official residences will be taken up entirely by those people who retire from office. A provision should be made so that the government builds specific accommodation for them so that it will be at a cost that is reasonable for the government,” one person said.

Listen to a cross section of Ghanaians voicing their opinions below

The sixth Parliament, before its dissolution, approved that the former President be given a house as part of his package as a former office holder.

This is despite recommendations made by the Prof. Dora Francisca Edu-Buandoh committee tasked to review emoluments of Article 71 office holders.

The committee recommended that the former president should not be given a house in Accra and another location of his choice outside the capital, as has been the norm, but instead be given 40 percent of his salary to be paid monthly.

–

By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Ghanaians upset with Mahama over retirement home appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

[contextly_sidebar id=”QLHSkFZjejpNbHrvlY1VY2lic9zaKmrZ”]John Mahama, as President, directed the abolition of the policy that allows public office holders to purchase state bungalows allocated to them in 2013.

Making reference to this, Mr. Boye said the former President must simply abide by his own directives.

“There are rules and regulations guarding official residential facilities, and the former president should also abide by the rules and regulations. He himself set up the rule that no official person takes an official residence when he is going out… If he is a law abiding citizen, he should go by the rules.”

Jake bungalow saga

The group also made particular reference to attempts made by elements of the erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC) government to prevent the late Jake Obetsebi Lamptey from keeping a government bungalow he had paid for when he was Minister of Tourism during the John Kufuor government.

“This is a Ga land, and they ejected Gas from the land when they were there [in power]. They even took Jake Obetsebi Lamptey to court for acquiring a Ga land. Why should he [Mahama] still stay in that residence saying he wants to acquire it? No, he can’t do that. We won’t allow that.”

“If a Ga citizen cannot acquire a Ga land, nobody then can acquire a Ga land,” Mr. Boye insisted.

In 2012, the then Deputy Information Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and the then Deputy Sports Minister, Dr. Omane Boamah, sued Jake Obetsebi Lamptey at the Supreme Court accusing him of abusing his office by acquiring public property for personal gain.

The Supreme Court subsequently ruled in favour of Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, and ordered government to hand over keys to the bungalow.

The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry at the time, Nii Lantey Vanderpuije, was occupying the house.

–

By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Ga-Dangme group to protest over Mahama’s retirement home appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Mr. Avedzi’s  remarks followed a statement from former President Mahama’s office informing the new administration that he will maintain his current residence following discussions by the transition team.

[contextly_sidebar id=”LHWN5LSWM9gI7IkhwrLdzJWWyVQQTCAE”]The statement also argued that the sixth Parliament, before its dissolution, approved the former President receiving a house as part of his package as a former office holder.

But the spokesperson of the current government on the transition team, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah in a Citi News interview, said there has been no approval given to the former president to keep the house.

Assurance of accommodation prudent

This notwithstanding, Mr. Avedzi explained on Eyewitness News that, Parliament was unanimous in its reasoning that it was prudent to reward an outgoing president with accommodation, given restraints that kept the office holder from improving him or herself financially.

On the other hand, Parliament felt that denying the outgoing president accommodation “was not the best because you do that, people cannot give up their best to be president and somebody who is president can say; if don’t make money now and build my own home when I leave, I will not be provided with accommodation,” the legislator said.

“That is why we thought that [a house] must be part of the provisions so that if I know I am a President today and I am serving this country, if tomorrow I am no longer the President, at least the state can provide for my accommodation. It is an incentive for me to work harder and not think about finding a way to amass wealth in order to build my own home. This is the idea that Parliament used,” Mr. Avedzi said.

Conflict with committee recommendations

It should be noted that the sixth Parliament’s stance on the matter was in contrast to the recommendations made by the Prof. Dora Francisca Edu-Buandoh committee tasked to review emoluments of Article 71 office holders.

The committee recommended that the former president should not be given a house in Accra and another location of his choice outside the capital as has been the norm but instead be given 40 percent of his salary to be paid monthly.

–

By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonlime.com/Ghana

The post Retirement home for Ex presidents a vital incentive – Avedzi appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Ahead of his exit, the Presidential Emoluments Committee on the conditions of Article 71 office holders has made some recommendations on the package he should be given for his retirement.

The recommendations, which have already been approved by Parliament, includes the payment of all utility bills at the residence of the outgoing President.

Others details are captures on the infographic below.

–

By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @jnyabor

The post John Mahama’s retirement package [Infographic] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.