• She has bemoaned commentaries on the issue
• She will also refund monies she accrued as allowances since becoming first lady
The decision by the First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo to turn down the offer by the Prof Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu-led emolument committee for her and the second lady Samira Bawumia to be paid some form of salaries for their respective roles has generated diverse reactions on social media.
In a shocking turn of events on Monday, July 12, 2021, the First Lady declared that she was not going to accept the recommendations of the committee.
She also declared her intention to reimburse the state with the almost GH¢900,000 she has benefitted since her husband assumed office in 2017.
This decision, according to the First Lady has been necessitated by the attacks on her husband’s government in the wake of formalization of the work of the committee.
“The First Lady in consultation with the President of the Republic has decided to refund all the monies paid to her as allowances from the date of the President’s assumption of office, i.e., from January 2017 to date, amounting to GH¢899,097.84.
“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. She is doing this as a purely personal decision, without prejudice to the rights of others, and not to undermine the propriety of the process undertaken by Parliament.”
The reaction to this move has been quite contrasting. Whiles some commend her for the showing that she ‘is the mother of the nation’ who listens to the ‘cry’ of her people, others are pessimistic about the refund of the already taken salaries.
Some also believe that though she may not be directly paid, she will still enjoy similar benefits with her husband still at the helm of affairs.
There is also a call on Samira Bawumia, the second lady, former First and Second Ladies, Lordina Mahama and Matilda Amissah-Arthur to also refund what they enjoyed as allowances.
Below are the reactions
First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo