A group calling itself Concerned Ghanaians has petitioned former presidents Jerry John Rawlings and John Kufuor to have their images removed from the 116 Bus Rapid Transit vehicles.

The group said in a statement that it considers the money spent on pasting pictures a wasteful expenditure.

The 3.6 million cedis spent on rebranding of 116 buses genrated a lot of debate last week with many sternly criticising government for embarking on an extravagant spending.

Aide to Mr Rawlings, Kobina Andoh told Myjoyonline.com the former President is aware of the petition but he will act only after the Attorney General releases findings from a probe into the deal.

The probe was initiated by Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah.

"His Excellency Jerry John Rawlings has duly noted the concerns raised but responds that he will await the investigative report of the Attorney General as per the directives of the Presidency after which he will advise himself accordingly,” he said.

Below is a copy of the full statement by Concerned Ghanaians.

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. 

God bless you and God bless Ghana.

Thank you.