President's private jet: What is the state of the falcon? - Kweku Baako queries gov't

Seasoned Journalist, Kweku Baako Jnr has waded into discussions over President Nana Akufo-Addo's foreign travels.

The President is said to have abandoned his jet and chartered a private flight for his trips.

According to the North Tongu Parliamentarian, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the President wasted over 2.8 million cedis on his recent trips.

“The Airbus ACJ320neo owned by Acropolis Aviation based in Farnborough, UK and registered as G-KELT, is the most luxurious and the most expensive in the Acropolis fleet. The manufacturers describe it as “the most outstanding ambassador for Airbus Corporate Jets.” It costs the Ghanaian taxpayer approximately £15,000 an hour when President Akufo-Addo rents it.

''President Akufo-Addo undoubtedly has the greatest taste any Ghanaian President has ever had, but the question is, should that insatiable appetite for his creature comforts be at the expense of the suffering masses?

''Let’s further analyze President Akufo-Addo’s latest trip to Europe: per Flightradar24, the G-KELT aircraft left Accra with the President to Paris on the 16th of May — a 6 and half hour duration. Airlifted the President from Paris to Johannesburg for 11 hours on the 23rd of May. Then Johannesburg to Accra on the 25th of May was a five and half hour flight. This gives us accumulated flight travel of 23 hours; so at £15,000 an hour, it thus cost us a colossal £345,000. At the current exchange, that is a staggering GHS2,828,432.80'', he posted on Facebook.

The MP also disclosed that he has, "filed an urgent question in Parliament to compel the Akufo-Addo administration to be accountable to the Ghanaian people on this matter and ultimately to prick their conscience to end this obscene profligacy at this time of considerable economic hardships''.

Speaking to host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'' programme, Kweku Baako sought to find out if the official jet of the President has developed any fault for him to be on private flights.

He argued that the President's Falcon jet cannot be said to be faulty stressing ''unless there's something more serious, I don't think it should be old-fashioned or totally unusable. It cannot be''.

''What is the state of the Falcon?'', he questioned.

"It's 11 years gone. I don't think 11 years is enough for it to become that weak," he added as he discussed Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa's post.