The second lady, Samira Bawumia has agreed to refund an amount of GHc 887,482.00 she received as allowance from January 2017 to March 2021 to the state.
The first lady announced this in a statement in reaction to the public outcry against the payment of salaries and emoluments to the spouses of first and second gentlemen of the land.
In a statement issued on Monday 12 July 2021, the Office of the First Lady said: “… the public discussion has been laced with some extremely negative opinions, in some cases, which she finds distasteful, seeking to portray her as a venal, self-serving and self-centered woman, who does not care about the plight of the ordinary Ghanaian.
“In view of this, the First Lady, in consultation with the President of the Republic, has decided to refund all monies paid to her as allowances from the date of the President’s assumption of office, ie, from January 2017 to date, amounting to GHC899,097.84.”
“The First Lady has also decided not to accept any monies that have been allocated to be paid to her pursuant to the recommendations of the Ntiamoa-Baidu Committee, as approved by Parliament,” the statement signed by Korkor Bleboo, Director of Communications in the Office of the First Lady, said.
A similar statement is expected to be issued by the office of the Second Lady to officially communicate the decision of the Second Lady, Samira Bawumia.
First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, had announced earlier a similar decision as part of efforts to protect their integrity.
“The Second Lady, H.E Samira Bawumia in consultation with H.E The Vice President, will refund all allowances paid her since 2017 and will not accept any monies allocated to her pursuant to the recommendations of the Prof. Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu committee, as approved by Parliament on 6th January, 2011,” a statement from her read.
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