NPP questions Ablakwa’s figures in South Africa evacuation, demands independent audit

The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has questioned the figures provided by Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa on the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa, insisting that an independent audit is needed to establish the actual cost and number of people transported. He rejected the minister’s decision to invite the Auditor-General to conduct a special audit of evacuation exercises dating back to 2017, arguing that the process should instead be handled by an independent audit firm whose findings would be made public.

Speaking on JoyFM’s Top Story on Tuesday, November 3, the National Youth Organiser of the NPP, Abanga Fuseini Yakubu, said the party did not have confidence in an audit process initiated by the minister, who is at the centre of the controversy. “What Okudzeto Ablakwa is doing, it is like you having an issue with me and inviting me into your court where you are the same judge in that court and you are going to determine the case.

It doesn’t make sense, and we don’t believe in certain investigations,” he said. The NPP youth organiser said his party wanted an independent audit of the entire evacuation exercise, with the findings published to the public. He also raised questions about figures contained in a document released by the Foreign Affairs Ministry following a Right to Information request by the NPP Minority in Parliament.

According to him, the document indicated that 1,964 people were evacuated from South Africa to Ghana, while three chartered flights, each with a capacity of about 300 passengers, were used. He questioned how the remaining passengers were transported and demanded details of the commercial flights allegedly used, including ticket costs, passenger manifests, seat numbers, and payment vouchers.

“The charter flight carries 300 people, which he chartered three flights. So 300 times three adds up to 900. So leaving the rest of the people on the plane. And that is how we want to know whether those people came with a commercial flight, whether they came with cars or bicycles, how much did he pay for each ticket, each flight, and which seat numbers, the vouchers, the passenger manifest.

“These are legitimate concerns that we are asking for. And we are also asking for the publication of the receipt that he paid for the $750,000 for the charter flight. Because in the commercial market, those ordinarily would not cost more than $150,000 to $300,000.” On concerns raised about commercial flight records, including the identification of only 247 passengers against the minister’s reported figure of more than 1,000, Mr Yakubu said the NPP was seeking documentary evidence to establish the actual number of passengers transported.

Read also: ‘Yɛgye Yɛ Sika’: NPP youth wing protests over SA evacuation expenditure, diplomatic passports He maintained that the party’s concerns were not politically motivated, citing JoyNews’ investigations into the evacuation arrangements as evidence that the questions raised deserved attention. “I can refer Joy News. The guys who did that wonderful job, I don’t believe they are politicians.

They only say what they see. And the New Patriotic Party Minority in Parliament are on the same page with what Joy FM did,” he said. He questioned why the minister and members of the NDC would dismiss the NPP’s concerns on political grounds when, in his view, the media investigation had also raised questions about the exercise.