President John Mahama
President John Mahama will on Thursday, February 7, 2013 finally move the presidency to the palatial presidential edifice at the Flagstaff House, earlier christened Jubilee House.
An official statement issued by the Ministry of Information and signed by the Minister, Mahama Ayariga, indicated that the relocation of the seat of government to the multimillion dollar edifice had been officially confirmed.
“Government wishes to announce that the seat of Government will officially move from the Castle – Osu to the Flag Staff House on Thursday, 7th February, 2013. This means that President John Dramani Mahama will from Thursday, 7th February, 2013 conduct formal government business from the Flag Staff House,” the statement released yesterday evening read.
According to Mr. Ayariga, there would be a short ceremony to commemorate the movement on Thursday at the forecourt of the Flag Staff House.
It is unclear if the President would also move into the official residence located within the compound of the Flagstaff House, because the statement did not specify this aspect of the relocation.
A movement into the Presidential residency would enable Vice President Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur to move into his official residence in Cantonments which is currently being occupied by President Mahama.
The President’s relocation will put to rest controversies surrounding his decision to move into the much criticized Flagstaff House.
Late last year, Vice President Amissah-Arthur moved into his office in the Vice Presidential wing of the Flagstaff House and there were indications that President Mahama would follow at a later date even though his predecessor, the late President John Atta Mills had rejected the edifice.
After the sudden death of John Mills mid last year, President Mahama quickly formed a committee, led by Commodore Steve Obimpeh (rtd), to advise him on whether to move into the Flagstaff House or not, especially when the National Security Advisor, Brigadier Gen Joseph Nunoo-Mensah, had kicked against such a move for what he called security concerns.
Indeed, ex-President Atta Mills had vowed never to occupy the Flagstaff House because he was convinced that the edifice, built by the Kufour led NPP administration between 2007 and 2008, was extravagant.
Even his boys proposed that the place be used as a hen coop.
Old Controversy
The relocation to the Flagstaff House is a complete U-turn from the earlier stance taken by the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The NDC contended that the over $80million used to construct the imposing edifice was scandalous.
However, since becoming President, John Mahama’s stance towards the Jubilee House appeared to have changed, preferring the imposing edifice to the colonial structure of the Osu Castle, where he had never sat in the office of the President.
Posts
