According to him, President Kufour during his regime had the needs of the country at heart, hence building such an edifice to complement the executive work of the Presidency.
He said during an interview with Oman FM that President John Mahama should express gratitude to the former NPP Flagbearer, now that he is going to occupy the Flagstaff House.
“I told them that President Kufour believes in the building of state institutions,” he praised his boss.
The Flagstaff House, initially called the Golden Jubilee House, was built to serve as the official seat of government. The multi-million dollar edifice was constructed under the Kufour-led administration and intended to house the President.
But several critics, paramountly from the ruling National Democratic Congress, downplayed the essence and objectives of the Presidential Palace.
They raised security concerns saying its geographical location is a threat to the safety of the President and for that matter, the President settles in the governmental edifice at the peril of his life.
The NDC was widely known for describing the place as “Poultry Farm”, a reason why the late President John Evans Atta Mills remained in the Castle at Osu even though the edifice was completed.
The former late President refused to reside in the Presidential palace, leaving some members of the political divide to raise eyebrows over his decision. It was under his leadership that the seat of government was changed to the Flagstaff House.
For the past four years, the place has been abandoned but President John Mahama has indicated that he will relocate from the Osu Castle which has over the years been the official seat of government to the Flagstaff House.
President Mahama To Relocate
Information Minister, Mahama Ayariga, in a statement on Tuesday indicated that a ceremony will be held on Thursday, January 7, to commemorate the President’s movement.
“I remember during the 2008 elections, some people had some pictures of the Jubilee House, especially in the Central Region, claiming that President Kufour appropriated funds from the national purse and used it to raise a building to house himself and his family after retirement. That was the kind of dirty propaganda our colleagues in the NDC did in those days,” he recollected.
He noted that the nation had called for a Presidential palace since the absence of an appropriate seat of government affects the integrity of the country.
He explained that; “In every small village, of course, there’s poverty and hardship but you also find a palace there too…our cultural belief behooves us to put the place in order. And if a country like Ghana that spearheaded independence in Africa has no appropriate seat of government, it doesn’t augur well for the nation.”
He scolded NDC members for raining intemperate words against President Kufour and his government.
“Anything you say, know that you will give account in the future. So, think deeply…,” he advised the NDC.
He added that should the NPP win power, the Flagstaff House will be reversed to its original name since the new name happens to be “a colonial relic.”
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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