The Member of Parliament representing Tamale Central, Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, has expressed grave worries about the financial burden that emergency parliamentary sittings impose on the state.
According to Murtala Mohammed, the cost of each day of these sittings is at least GH¢1 million for Ghana, making it a significant expense for just one day’s meeting. Following Speaker Alban Bagbin’s decision to adjourn Parliament indefinitely on Thursday, November 7, he emphasized this concern.
The NPP caucus requested Parliament’s recall, which led to the session being initially convened and later adjourned. Despite the urgency of the request, the NPP caucus members were absent from the sitting, resulting in only members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) being present.
Murtala Mohammed criticized the absence, claiming that it shows a lack of respect for the importance of convening Parliament and results in significant waste of time and taxpayer funds. He stressed the importance of recognizing that these actions were a clear indication of state resource mismanagement.
Addressing the media, Murtala Mohammed expressed his disappointment due to the significant costs involved, including the daily expense of GH¢1 million and the disruption to MPs’ schedules. He encouraged everyone involved to think about the economic impacts of holding unnecessary parliamentary sessions and to make responsible governance a top priority.
The unnecessary delay caused a significant financial burden to the state. Why did they waste our time? If I were to disclose the details, on a day like today and in a setting such as this, Parliament could potentially allocate close to a million or even over a million Cedis. All members of parliament must be provided with our TnT. Visualize the quantity.
While I was in my constituency, I decided to visit my farm and began the process of harvesting my rice. I only had two days to visit the farm and resume my campaign before having to interrupt my activities. Many MPs were also occupied with equally crucial tasks. All the Members of Parliament left the scene and entered the Chamber.
