First and Second Ladies salaries unconstitutional, must be withdrawn immediately – Sammy Gyamfi

The Director of Communications of the National Democratic Congress(NDC), Mr Sammy Gyamfi has called for the immediate withdrawal of the salaries for the first and second ladies of Ghana, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo and Mrs Samira Bawumia.

According to him, they were not Article 71 office holders hence given them salaries equal to that of Cabinet ministers would be wrong and unconstitutional.

“The decision to pay the wives of @NAkufoAddo and  @MBawumia a monthly salary equivalent to that of a Cabinet Minister, is patently unconstitutional and reprehensible. Particularly, given the fact that they are not Article 71 Office holders. Same must be withdrawn forthwith”.

The decision to pay the wives of @NAkufoAddo and @MBawumia a monthly salary equivalent to that of a Cabinet Minister, is patently unconstitutional and reprehensible. Particularly, given the fact that they are not Article 71 Office holders. Same must be withdrawn forthwith.

— Sammy Gyamfi (@SammyGyamfi2017) July 7, 2021

Mr Sammy Gyamfi made the remarks in a twitter post sighted by GhanaPlus.com on Wednesday, July 7, 2021.

He was reacting to report, Ghana’s 7^th  Parliament approved for the First Lady and wife of the President, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo and the Second Lady and wife of the Vice President, Mrs Samira Bawumia to receive same salaries as Cabinet ministers.

The information was made public by the Information Minister, Mr Kojo Oppong –Nkrumah in Accra.

“The President does approve salaries and benefits for the Executive. Under Article 71, the First Lady and Second Lady are not office holders so no one can determine their benefits under that article.

“However, a committee only recommended that an arrangement for the spouses be made formal and that received approval from Parliament,” he was reported to have said.

According to Mr Opponng-Nkrumah, the allowance for the first and second ladies and wives of former Presidents had been in existence since the year 2000 under the administration of the then President, Mr John Agyekum Kuffour, it was only formalized by the 7th Parliament upon the recommendation of Professor Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu chaired Emolument Committee’s set in 2019.

Source: GhanaPlus.com