The wife of the Vice President, Samira Bawumia, has followed in the footsteps of the First Lady in promising to refund all allowances paid to her without legal basis from state coffers since 2017.
In a short statement issued on Tuesday, July 13, the wife of the Vice President said the decision to refund the allowances was taken in consultation with her husband, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
She, however, failed to indicate how much has been paid to her in total like the First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, did in a similar announcement.
“Mrs Bawumia continues to be committed to the service of the nation; to deliver humanitarian interventions and initiatives in the areas of health, education and economic empowerment,†she said.
The First Lady's decision to refund the controversial payments has since yesterday dominated discussions on Twitter and Facebook.
In the July 12, 2021 statement, the First Lady said she has decided to refund all monies paid to her as allowances from the date of the President’s assumption of office, i.e., from January 2017 to date, amounting to GH¢899,097.84, or about $152,000.
She also declined the offer to be paid allowances and salaries as recommended by the Prof Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu Committee on Emoluments for Article 71 officeholders.
The move by the First Lady follows public furore over revelations that the spouses of Ghana's President and Vice President have, by convention, been receiving cabinet minister-level salaries from the public purse.
In a bid to regularise this convention, the Ntiamoah-Baidu committee recommended that monthly allowances and heavily discounted car loans be offered to the spouses.
The committee further recommended the formalisation of these allowances and salaries, along with huge and heavily discounted car loans.
The recommendations have since been endorsed by Parliament.
However, after widespread opposition and criticism from academics, civil society and labour groups, the First Lady has offered to reject the recommendations of the committee.