Bus Branding Saga: Group Wants JJ, Kufuor To Order Removal Of Their Images
A group calling itself the Concerned Citizens have petitioned former Presidents Jerry Rawlings, John Kufuor and family of late Prof. John Evans Atta Mills to have their portraits removed from the controversial 116 intra-city buses.
Both living former presidents and late president have their ‘Black & White’ images boldly branded on the buses.
The cost of the branding of the buses has led to public debate with Parliament also asking for further clarification of the cost.
Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, has also directed the Attorney General's department "to review the contract and associated payments"
However, a letter signed by the Group, Concerned Citizens copied to Peacefmonline.com said they find that "it is a wasteful expenditure to paste pictures of former presidents including the current president on these 116 buses at an individual cost of GHC31,000."
“We are, thus, humbly appealing to your good conscience to request that you direct that your images be taken off those buses. We, together with the growing number of online signatories to this petition, shall remain eternally grateful to you if you could grant us our petition,” the statement added.
Below is the full statement:
PETITION TO THEIR EXCELLENCIES, PRESIDENTS KUFFOUR AND RAWLINGS SEEKING TO HAVE THEIR IMAGES REMOVED FROM THE 116 BUS RAPID TRANSIT (BRT) BUSES.
Your Excellencies,
It is with great dismay that we, as Concerned Ghanaians, have noticed the adorning of 116 government procured BRT buses with the portraits of the current and former presidents, namely John Evans Atta Mills, John Agyekum Kuffour, Jerry John Rawlings and John Dramani Mahama.
We believe that you will consider it profligate, as we do, that government spent a whopping GHC3.6m on this hubristic exercise.
In the midst of our current economic problems as a nation, which caused the President to admonish Ghanaians to tighten their belts, we find that it is a wasteful expenditure to paste pictures of former presidents including the current president on these 116 buses at an individual cost of GHC31,000.
Knowing the good values of prudent financial management and good governance which you ascribe to, we are left with no doubt in our minds that you do not approve of such an expenditure as well as the idea of placing your images on these buses.
We are thus humbly appealing to your good conscience to request that you direct that your images be taken off those buses.
We, together with the growing number of online signatories to this petition, shall remain eternally grateful to you if you could grant us our petition.
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