Accommodation For MPs: Parliament To Spend 1.3bn Cedis

After the shameful and greedy manner in which former ministers of state and other functionaries acquired vehicles at give-away prices, the nation is being asked to pay for yet another round of extravaganza.

Investigations conducted by The Independent confirmed by sources at Ghana's Parliament and on the spot visit to two hotels indicate that the nation shall be spending about 1.3 billion cedis on accommodating 51 members of parliament for the next four months.

According to our sources the nation is paying about $30 a day on each of the 51 MPs currently living in two Accra hotels in Tesano and Abeka.

Although the nation has flats designated for each of the constituencies, present occupants who lost their seats have up to March to relinquish their flats. Consequently the 51 MPs from all the parties who hail outside Accra, have been given the temporary hotel arrangement.

Some members of parliament The Independent talked to said that they would have preferred to be given a minimum allowance to enable them secure their private accommodation.

It may be recalled that the First Parliament of this Republic allocated flats at Sakumono, Accra to MPs. But by a special arrangement, these flats were sold out to the occupants.

In order to avoid a similar situation, the last parliament purchased flats that were rather allocated to constituencies with no option for purchase, but needing some time for evacuation, the new batch of MPs have had to put up hotels.

There is a currently a controversial move to build five-bedroom flats for members of parliament because some say their two bedroom abode is unable to cope with visits by constituents.