More than 10 years ago, we at the Daily Dispatch started of advocating that Ministers of state must be given rent allowances to hire their own houses because of the huge expenses revolved in maintaining government bungalows.
We were also concerned at situations where minister who lost their jobs in reshuffles continued to stay in official bungalows whilst the newly appointed ministers stayed in hotels, at state expense.
As you read this article, quite a number of ministers of state who lost their ministerial positions as recent reshuffles Are Still Staying in Official Bungalows whilst the newly appointed ones, who were staying in official residences of their previous employment have had to move out and are staying in hotels, with the government bearing the cost.
Many Ghanaians were angry that so much money was paid to rent accommodation for the head of CHRAJ, Ms. Loretta Lamptey, in fulfillment of one of her working conditions � that her employers, the government of Ghana must provide accommodation. The question is not the provisions of accommodation but the quantum of monies paid to satisfy of the perks attached to the position.
Checks with credible sources at the Ministry of works and Housing indicate that the Ministry does not have a list of former Ministers who should have vacated their official residences but have not. The sources also confirmed that the Ministry does not have any idea of ministers who are currently staying in their own homes; those staying in hotels and the cost involved.
By now, our readers would be wondering about brief details of the package we had advocated for public official, especially ministers of state over a decade ago.
The background to our advocacy was that we realized that renovations carried out for incoming ministers were becoming very, very expensive. For example, if minister A is not reappointed in a reshuffle, he will have to leave. Minister B is a new appointee and has to occupy the bungalow of ex-minister A, he would demand extensive renovations. For example, Minister B would say he is afraid of using bathtubs and would want them replaced with showers. He would say he is afraid of tiles and would want carpets on the tiled floors. Another area of high expenses will be curtains and sets of furniture. For example, he (Minister B) would want the curtains changed because the colours are too dark or the leather on the furniture is too dark or the leader on the furniture is too slippery.
Just last week, we did some investigations at the amounts various governments over the past 20 years have been spending and you would wonder. How can these unnecessary huge expenses be avoided?
There is no doubt before someone is appointed a minister of state; many of them live in reasonably good houses. When he is dismissed in a reshuffle, he goes back to whenever he was staying and if he has rented his previous house out, he will have to rent a new place. There have been suggestions that ministers should be given a fixed sum, to rent their own accommodation. This will save the country, huge sums of monies in renovations to suit the taste or wishes of an incoming minister.
Alhaji Collins Dauda, will you please be up and doing to forcibly remove dismissed ministers still staying in official residences months after removal? Are you aware huge suns of monies are being spent to accommodate newly appointed minsters in expensive hotels?
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