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University of Ghana, Lecturer at Legon, Professor Ransford Gyampo opposed the approval of allowances for Ghana’s first and second ladies.
This comes after Parliament approved a recommendation from a five-member committee that was set up in June 2019 by President Akufo-Addo, to Parliament on salaries and allowances for first or second spouses.
But Professor Gyampo has joined in calls from many to have this withdrawn.
According to the professor of political science at the UG, the offices of the first and second ladies are only ceremonial offices and therefore institutionalizing the payment of wages to the occupants will not be an ideal situation.
“If we are to take good care of the spouses or wives of former heads of state, especially heads of state who may be deceased.” If they have surviving spouses and they live like puppets, that’s not nice. There is nothing wrong if we decide to take good care of these spouses of former heads of state.
“Even if we have to do it, it shouldn’t depend on the magnanimity of a president. Heads of state should be formally legislated after they have served and retired, they are supported until they pass. So if a former head of state dies and has a surviving wife, I think it doesn’t hurt if the state decides to take care of the surviving spouse.
“But like I said, it shouldn’t be because someone wants to be nice to them, but the state itself has to actively formalize that relationship and take good care of them. It’s different from tell me about the wife of the incumbent president and the wife of the incumbent vice president, ”Prof. Gyampo explained in an interview with TV3.
He continued: “I have been told about the approval by Parliament that the spouse of the incumbent president and the spouse of the incumbent vice president as well as the spouses of former heads of state, that these former heads of State whether alive or dead, should all be taken care of. I think this is not the way to go. Let’s draw a line between the two.
“The office of the First Lady is only ceremonial. The office of the second lady is also ceremonial. These are not formal structures, they are dysfunctional structures, informal structures that I admit could go a long way in shaping and influencing the way governance is conducted.
As the conversation about first and second ladies ‘salaries continues, the executive director of the Center for Democratic Governance, Professor H Kwesi Prempeh has also rejected the approval of payment of first and second ladies’ allowances.
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