The Second Lady of the Republic, Samira Bawumia is set to refund a total of eight hundred and eighty-seven thousand, four hundred and eighty-two (GHC887,482) she has thus far received in allowances, covering the period January 2017 to March 2021.
The Second Lady’s move follows a similar step by the First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, who has also decided to refund to the state a total of eight hundred and ninety-nine thousand and ninety-seven Ghana cedis (GHC899,097).
The decision by the two leading ladies to refund their allowances is motivated by the recent public backlash that has characterised the recommendation made by the Presidential Committee on Emoluments for Article 71 office-holders, that first and second ladies be paid a formal salary as part of the benefits of the president and vice-president.
The First and Second Ladies, according to Asaase News sources, conferred and took the common position to refund all payments they have received following the public discourse of recommendations made by the Presidential Committee on Emoluments for Article 71 office-holders.
In a statement issued on Monday 12 July 2021, the Office of the First Lady said: “… the public discussion has been laced with some extremely negative opinions, in some cases, which she finds distasteful, seeking to portray her as a venal, self-serving and self-centered woman, who does not care about the plight of the ordinary Ghanaian.
“In view of this, the First Lady, in consultation with the President of the Republic, has decided to refund all monies paid to her as allowances from the date of the President’s assumption of office, ie, from January 2017 to date, amounting to GHC899,097.84.”
“The First Lady has also decided not to accept any monies that have been allocated to be paid to her pursuant to the recommendations of the Ntiamoa-Baidu Committee, as approved by Parliament,” said the statement signed by Korkor Bleboo, director of communications in the Office of the First Lady.
A similar statement is expected to be issued by the Office of the Second Lady to communicate officially the decision by the Second Lady, Samira Bawumia.
Ntiamoa-Baidu Committee
The Professor Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu Committee submitted the report of its recommendations, dated 18 June 2020, to President Akufo-Addo. This was in fulfilment of the Article 71 provision of the 1992 constitution which enjoins every sitting president to set up a committee before the end of his or her four-year mandate to make recommendations on emoluments for Article 71 office-holders.
The five-member committee’s report recommended, among other things, the payment of a salary equivalent to a cabinet minister who is a member of Parliament to the First Lady while her husband is in office, and the payment of a salary equivalent to 80% of the salary of a minister of state who is an MP if the spouse served one full term as president, or 100% of the salary of a minister of state who is an MP if the spouse served two or more full terms as president.
For second ladies, the committee report recommended the payment of a salary equivalent to a cabinet minister who is not a Member of Parliament to a second lady while her husband is in office and, once he leaves office, the payment of a salary equivalent to 80% of the salary of a minister of state who is not an MP if the spouse served one full term as vice-president, or 100% of the salary of a minister of state who is a member of Parliament if the spouse served two or more full terms as vice-president.
Click the link to read the full report of the Professor Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu Committee.
PROF_YAA_NTIAMOAH_BAIDU-EMOLUMENT_REPORT_-2017-2021 (1)
Public arguments
However, some Ghanaians have taken to social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to register their displeasure with the committee’s recommendations.
The Minority group in Parliament and the former president of the republic John Dramani Mahama have also joined in the calls for the policy to be reconsidered.
The Trades Union Congress also issued a recent statement, recommending that since first and second ladies of Ghana have no defined role under the 1992 republican constitution, the government should take another look at the report and recommendations of the Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu-led committee.
Wilberforce Asare
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