General News of Wednesday, 15 February 2017

Source: peacefmonline.com

We're still talking about 'missing' state vehicles? - Allotey Jacobs

Allotey Jacobs, Central Regional Chairman of the NDC Allotey Jacobs, Central Regional Chairman of the NDC

Allotey Jacobs has advised government and members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to put paid to the missing State vehicles saga, claiming that it is disgracing the country before the international community.

According to him, the issue has exposed Ghanaians to international ridicule and so wondered why Ghana would still be dealing with the matter in this democratic dispensation.

Contributing to 'Kokrokoo' on Peace FM, Allotey Jacobs insisted that the nation should rather be looking at ways to protect President Nana Akufo-Addo and help him to effectively steer the affairs of the State.

The Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin complained that President Akufo-Addo had been compelled to use his private vehicle for trips outside Accra and also to ride in a 2007 model of BMW to functions.

But a statement by the former Deputy Chief of Staff, Johnny Osei Kofi indicated that the President was left with 4 bulletproof cars and so if he is sticking to a BMW and his private vehicles, it's a matter of choice.

“It must be placed on record that the use of the BMWs and his personal vehicle if it is true, is not due to the non-availability of presidential vehicles. It is clearly a choice that he made on his own accord,” the statement said.

To Allotey Jacobs, the banter between the government and the opposition NDC is needless; stressing that Nana Addo has been "elected the President of the Republic of Ghana. Anything and everything that we can do to protect him and to make him comfortable as a leader to ensure he steers the affairs of this country, we need to do for him. We don’t need to bring these things into the newspapers . . . Somebody will say bulls**t,” he said.

“It’s disgracing us as a nation that we will sit there for CNN, Aljazeera are talking about vehicles. Government of Ghana talking about vehicles! It’s not good. It doesn’t speak well of us as a country where we’re an icon of African democracy. 25 years in our fourth Republican democratic dispensation, we’re talking about missing cars, stolen cars . . . What the hell!" he added.