On Tuesday, October 13, Akosua Manu, the Advisor on Gender, Children and Social Protection to NPP flagbearer Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, posted on Facebook that the debate over Nana Boakye’s service passport should not divert attention from the GH¢49.7 million spent on evacuating Ghanaian citizens from South Africa.
Ms Manu questioned how an allegation about Nana B’s passport could explain the millions of public funds that remain unaccounted for, citing discrepancies in payment registers, alleged ghost names and unexplained gaps in flight records. “How does an allegation about Nana B’s passport reconcile a single cedi of public expenditure? How does it explain the millions unaccounted for?” she wrote.
The comments come amid accusations by the Majority on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Committee that Deputy Ranking Member Nana Asafo‑Ayeh is conducting a character‑assassination campaign against Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. The Majority links the criticism of Mr Ablakwa to his refusal to grant a service passport to Nana Boakye, a former NPP National Youth Organiser and former Board Chairman of the National Food Buffer Stock Company.
Salaga South MP Zuwera Ibrahimah Mohammed defended the minister, noting that he had complied with a presidential directive requiring holders of diplomatic and service passports to return them, and that exceptions should not be made.
Ms Manu maintained that the passport dispute should not be used to sidestep questions about the evacuation expenditure. She urged that the financial concerns be answered directly and that the relevant records be examined. “Ghanaians deserve answers, not distractions. The documents must speak for themselves,” she said, adding that an independent audit should be welcomed if there was nothing to hide.
