Samira Bawumia to refund all monies paid to her since 2017

• Samira Bawumia says she will refund monies paid to her since 2017

• She has indicated that, she will not accept any monies allocated to her

• She has pledged to continue to service of the nation

The wife of the Vice President, Samira Bawumia, says she will refund all allowances paid to her since 2017.

She indicated that she will “not accept any monies allocated to her pursuant to the recommendation of the Prof. Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu led committee, as approved by Parliament on January 6, 2021.”

Senior Aide to Samira Bawumia, Kwame Twum, Esq. in a two-paragraph statement sighted by GhanaWeb indicated that, “Mrs Bawumia continues to be committed to the service of the nation; to deliver humanitarian intervention and initiatives in the areas of health, education and economic empowerment.”

Samira Bawumia’s decision comes on the back of recommendations by the Prof Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu-led Presidential Committee on Emoluments for Article 71 officeholders.

The committee had recommended that the First Lady be paid a salary equivalent to a Cabinet Minister who is a Member of Parliament (MP) while her husband is in office and the Payment of a salary equivalent to 80% of the salary of a Minister of State who is a Member of Parliament (MP) if the spouse served one full term as President or 100% of the salary of a Minister of State who is a Member of Parliament (MP) if the spouse served two or more full terms as President.

The committee further suggested that the Second Lady be paid a salary equivalent to a Cabinet Minister who is not an MP while her husband is in office and the Payment of a salary equivalent to 80% of the salary of a Minister of State who is not a Member of Parliament (MP) if the spouse served one full term as President or 100% of the salary of a Minister of State who is a Member of Parliament (MP) if the spouse served two or more full terms as Vice President.

Meanwhile, First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo has disclosed how much money has been paid to her by the state by way of informal allowances since she became First Lady in 2017.

According to her office, since the assumption of office by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, she has received close to GH¢900,000, which she will refund in full to the state.

In a statement dated July 12, and signed by Korkor Bleboo, Director of Communications at the Office of the First Lady, Mrs Akufo-Addo said even though she did not request to be paid any allowance, she will refund the amount in view of the public furore that has followed the recent disclosure that presidential spouses were to be formally remunerated per an emoluments committee report.

“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 to office i.e. January 2017, to date, amounting to GH¢899,097.84.

The statement continued: “The First Lady has also decided not to accept any monies that have been allocated to her pursuant to 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 statement added.

Read her full statement below.