Rebecca Akufo-Addo's allowance refund: Gary Al-Smith, other Ghanaians express mixed reactions
- A section of the Ghanaian public have praised Rebecca Akufo-Addo for her decision to refund allowances paid to her
- The money was paid when she took office as the First Lady of Ghana in January 2021
- Others, however, say this is a publicity stunt
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Mixed reactions have greeted the decision by First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo to return the allowances paid to her from 2017.
On Tuesday, July 13, YEN.com.gh reported on a statement from the office of the First Lady stating that she had decided to give back the allowances paid to her amounting to GHC899,097.84.
The statement also added that she has decided to reject the emoluments approved to be paid to her by parliament, stressing that she made the decision purely as a personal decision and not with prejudice to the rights of others.
Whilst some are excited about the decision, others have expressed scepticism about its reality.
YEN.com.gh has compiled some reactions from the general public.
Sports journalist Gary Al-Smith thanked her for the decision: "Many thanks to Mama Rebecca for the refund. That's what's up. Almost a million GHS is big money - which makes it more important that the idea shouldn't even have come up."
He also shared that he has a soft spot for the First Lady: "Got a very soft spot for the First Lady because of the work she does, especially in healthcare. Never met her, but a very big fan of her work. Really thrilled she did this refund. Yes, it may be alo, but she refunded it in the end. And that's good enough start for me."
Ceyram doesn't believe her story: "Im not falling for this first lady returning her salary story. This government will find ways and means to give her the money back. Parliament might approve a loan to buy her wigs."
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Rebecca Akufo-Addo rejects salary; set to refund over GHC899k allowance received since 2017
Kwadwo Piano doesn't believe it either: "You people fall for that First lady ein statement lmaooo.. “Let’s release a statement and cashout secretly”?? Dfkm"
Saada thinks the decision by the first lady is wrong: "Ghanaians bullied the First Lady to reject the monthly allowance allocated to her, it’s her constitutional right and i think she rejecting it was wrong."
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Mahama's take
The former president of Ghana, John Mahama, has shared his opinion about the controversial issue of paying salaries for the first and second ladies.
On Wednesday, July 7, 2021, YEN.com.gh reported the decision of the government to adopt the recommendation of an emolument committee to ensure that the spouses of the President and Vice President are paid for their roles monthly.
In a lengthy post on his official website, Mahama vehemently pushed against the idea calling it unconstitutional.
He joined a tall list of individuals and civil rights organizations who have opposed the idea of paying salaries for the presidential spouses
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Source: YEN.com.gh
