New Patriotic Party leader Hopeson Adorye has urged the government to be reasonable with a budgetary direction to cut fuel allocations by 50% and also impose a ban on the usage of V8 engines.
On Oman FM’s Boiling Point program (November 24), he stressed that it was crucial to give appointees the assistance they need to do their duties.
Adorye claimed, using a text message, that deputy ministers were only receiving GH 250 in fuel allowance, which he thought was a pitiful sum considering the types of engagements that ministers took on.
“On the fuel issue, I have a text message that shows that deputy Ministers get GH¢250 cedis worth of fuel every week. GH¢250 cedis only, how much is one litre, for a minister to be given 250 cedis for a week? That comes up to GH¢1000 cedis for a whole month.
“If they arrive late at an event too, they have issues. 250 cedis of fuel is among some of the factors that breed corruption in this country,” he lamented.
What Ofori-Atta said about V8s and fuel allocations
Under the section of the budget on “Implementation of the Cabinet directives on expenditure measures,” the Minister said:
Mr. Speaker, as the first step toward expenditure rationalisation, the Government has approved the following directives which take effect from January, 2023:
● All MDAs, MMDAs and SOEs are directed to reduce fuel allocations to Political Appointees and heads of MDAs, MMDAs and SOEs by 50%. This directive applies to all methods of fuel allocation including coupons, electronic cards, chit systems, and fuel depots. Accordingly, 50% of the previous year’s (2022) budget allocation for fuel shall be earmarked for official business pertaining to MDAs, MMDAs and SOEs;
● A ban on the use of V8s/V6s or its equivalent except for cross-country travel. All government vehicles would be registered with GV green number plates from January 2023;
● Limited budgetary allocation for the purchase of vehicles. For the avoidance of doubt, the purchase of new vehicles shall be restricted to locally assembled vehicles;
● Only essential official foreign travel across government including SOEs shall be allowed. No official foreign travel shall be allowed for board members. Accordingly, all government institutions should submit a travel plan for the year 2023 by mid-December of all expected travels to the Chief of Staff;