Speaking to Peacefmonline.com, he asked government to demystify the travel by 200 Pastors to the Israeli nation for historic purposes.
Government, through the Coordinator of the Jerusalem pilgrimage, Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah, in a statement on Monday, March 18, 2013, denied reports that the ruling National Democratic Congress is sponsoring some “200 Pastors affiliated to the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) for a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Israel at the cost of $2million.”
According to Afriyie-Ankrah, who doubles as the Youth and Sports Minister, the total cost of the sponsorship package for the pilgrims is estimated at $600,000, not the initial amount reported in the media.
The money is said to cater for the air fare, hotels and feeding of the Pastors.
The government also denied any attempts to dole out $10,000 to each pilgrim as per diem.
Disclosing the facts, the Coordinator of the trip explained that; “over the years, various Christian and Church organizations have called on government to sponsor and address the various challenges they have encountered during their holy trips to Israel.
In the process, and with the increase in the number of pilgrims, some Ghanaian philanthropists offered to provide sponsorship for this year's trip.
“It is in response to these several calls that Government then decided to facilitate and coordinate the Pilot Pilgrimage to Israel, to help address some of the challenges Christian groups have encountered on past trips which is nothing new just as government has been doing for the Holy Muslim pilgrimage of Hajj to Mecca.”
The statement further read: "It is also untrue that during the tenure of late Prof. JEA Mills, he organized a similar trip and gave each person $10,000 as per diem...the government is NOT sponsoring the trip from the state coffers but only facilitating and coordinating the process and has no involvement in the selection of the prospective pilgrims from the various bodies that would suggest an “NDC Pastors Pilgrimage.”
In spite of the clarification, the Akuapem South MP and former Sports Minister, O.B. Amoah has implored government to divulge the unidentified entities behind the trip and ensure transparency in its activities.
He alerted government to come out with a detailed account of the pilgrimage so as to unravel the mysteries.
He therefore made several calls on government, asking “Those who claim that they want to be anonymous but still want to sponsor a trip by government, what is in it for them? How will they benefit? That’s the first thing we need to know…Why should they use the letterhead of State Protocol?”
“Which particular Pastors made the request? And how come they made the offer to other Pastors who said they are not interested?” he rhetorically questioned.
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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