... down from 25-45 vehicle Kufuor convoy br> A 'True Democrat' source at the Castle, Osu, says the President, J. E. A. Mills, has opted for a Presidential convoy of not more that three cars and two dispatch riders whenever he has to journey anywhere.
This is in line with the promise he made during the Presidential campaign to reduce the number of vehicles in the Presidential convoy if elected President of Ghana.
"For President Mills, it is not just about honouring a campaign promise but eschewing an opulence and ostentatious lifestyle. Flamboyance is not his style" the very reliable source said.
"The President sees a Presidential convoy of many vehicles as a waste of the tax payers' money. He says he is okay with just three vehicles; there wil1 be the lead vehicle, his own and a back-up vehicle. For him, this is more than enough" the source concluded. True Democrat can confirm that when the President went to pay his condolences to the family of the late Vice-Admiral E.O. Owusu Ansah on Monday he did so with only a two vehicle convoy and a dispatch rider.
Some Presidential statfers in the former NPP and NDC government while applauding President Mills' decision to cut down the number of vehicles in the Presidential convoy opine that the Presidential convoy must consist of at least five vehicles, including an ambulance
Whatever number of vehicles that may eventually make up President Mills' convoy in the next four years, the obscene opulence that had been inflicted on Ghanaians by President Kufuor with his between 25-45 vehicle Presidential convoy is a thing of the past.
And unlike his predecessor, President Mills has decided to suffer any indignity associated with living in the Castle by living there instead of driving to and from his Regimanuel Gray residence on the Spintex road thereby forcing other users of the road to give way to him day and night.
It will be recalled that on assumption of office in 2001, President Kufuor caused uproar when he declared the Castle unfit for human habitation and therefore decided to continue living in his Airport West home.
As a result, millions of cedis from state coffers was used to renovate his house to allegedly bring it to standards befitting the status of a President. The source of the money used in renovating the Airport West house was shrouded in mystery as it was claimed initially that the money came from a farmer
For the eight years that he was in office, Kufuor, day and night, commuted between his Airport West residence and the Castle with his long convoy. He became a constant nuisance to other users of the road as all cars must stop for his to pass any time he is going home or to the Castle.
The then President Kufuor eventually nearly got killed on November 14, 2007 when a Mercedes benz driven by one of his own friends and financiers, Thomas Osei, ran into his car at the Opeibea intersection on the Airport-37 Military Hospital road. Fortunately, he survived without any injuries.
In a related development, the First Lady, Mrs Naadu Mills, according to True Democrat sources has chosen to do without a dispatch rider when she is making her own everyday rounds.
“The First Lady does not want to draw attention to herself. So, unless she is going for an official function, she will not use a dispatch rider" the source said.
Meanwhile, many Ghanaians are still seething with anger at the fact that Ex-President Kufuor wants to be given the outrageous emoluments and privileges which include "Six fully maintained, comprehensively insured, fueled and chauffeur-driven vehicles; vehicles to be replaced every four years. Vehicles should be three saloon cars, two cross-country vehicles and one all-purpose vehicle".
Kufuor is also demanding, as an ex-President, appropriate police escort to ensure that he never gets stuck in traffic!
