Government says it funded the entire cost in airlifting the first batch of stranded Ghanaians in Libya to Ghana. 55 of the returnees arrived on Saturday with pomp but soon the controversy brewed over who funded their safe passage to Ghana. One of the returnees, Mohammed Ibrahim claimed his Turkish employers in Libya funded the airfares of 32 of its Ghanaian employees to Ghana. He could not tell how the remaining 23 stranded Ghanaians funded their way back to Ghana. His revelation provoked criticisms from the minority, whose spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway criticized the seemingly snail-pace strategy being adopted by government. But Ghana’s Ambassador in Egypt Amidu Sulemana has contested the claims by the returnee. He said the Ghana government through her Egyptian mission paid for the evacuation. The deputy Information Minister Baba Jamal corroborated the claims by the ambassador. He told Joy News’ Dzifa Bampoh the total cost of air-lifting the 55 Ghanaians was borne by government. He said the Turkish company only assisted in getting their employees- stranded Ghanaians - to the Egyptian-Libyan border. “From there, the Ghana Embassy in Cairo took charge, sent its agents there, picked the people to Cairo, processed them, bought tickets for them and put them on the plane. “…Those workers who came, including the 32 and the rest that were added on them were all paid for by the government of Ghana through our embassy in Cairo,” he said. He would not state the total cost involved in the evacuation of the 55, saying the amount does not matter, at least for now, insisting that government’s major concern is how to get the nationals back to Ghana. “We will expend everything to bring them,” he said, adding the second batch will be returning on Tuesday. Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana