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Leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), and Member of Parliament for Akuapem North, Sammi Awuku, has described President John Mahama’s recent directive to scrap fuel allowances for appointees as nothing more than a populist public relations stunt.
Speaking in a media interview, Awuku argued that the move, though widely praised in some circles, lacked transparency and failed to address the core issues around government expenditure.
“Clearly, if you ask me, I think there are more questions to be asked with this particular directive. I see it as populist; it’s just a public gimmick and a clear case of PR,” Awuku stated.
He further stated that to genuinely demonstrate commitment to cutting costs, the government should also shut down the fuel depots at both the Castle and the Jubilee House. According to him, these depots serve as the main fuel sources for many government officials and political appointees.
“Once you close down these two, because these are the places that government appointees go for fuel, then nobody should come and play with our minds,” he said.
Sammi Awuku also called for a clear disclosure of how much is spent annually on fuel allowances to allow citizens to track any real savings.
“How much were we spending on this fuel allowance? Once we get to know, then at the end of the year we can say that, okay, we’ve made savings of one Ghana cedi or 10 billion cedis or 100 million cedis. But without that, they are just playing on our minds,” he stressed.
He also raised concerns about the lack of definition regarding who qualifies as a political appointee, noting that chief executive officers (CEOs) and other high-level public servants have different contractual entitlements.
Sammi Awuku is urging the government to provide further clarity and concrete evidence of cost savings to prove that the directive is not merely for show.
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