Independence Celebration at Tamale laudable but a 'waste of money' - Nunoo-Mensah

Former National Security Advisor, Brigadier-General Nunoo-Mensah says hosting Ghana’s 62nd Independence Day celebration in the Northern region is laudable – but, “not really important”.

He explained that funds used to move the celebration to the Northern part of the country could have been channeled into education and health sector.

"I don’t hate the people in the north but I don’t think this was necessary. How much did the government spend on all dignitaries to Tamale? Most of them went by air and government will bear all these costs. We have so many things to do as a nation; we need money to develop this country,” he said in an interview with NEAT FM’s morning show ‘Ghana Montie’.

The Former Chief of Defence Staff, Brigadier General Joseph [rtd] Nunoo-Mensah's comment comes after suggestion by some historians that the Independence Day celebration must be rotated each year in all 16 regions in the country.

But the former military capo said the idea will rather cost the nation than its benefit - “This thing is not done anywhere in the world. We will spend millions of cedis just to celebrate independence. Let’s use that money to develop the country”.

The Northern Regional capital, Tamale, on 6th March 2019 hosted the country’s 62nd Independence Day anniversary parade.

It was the first time the event is being held outside the national capital, Accra.