Renaming Flagstaff House to Jubilee House a misplaced priority – Nunoo Mensah

Former National Security Adviser, Brigadier General Joseph Nunoo Mensah is surprised with government’s decision to reverse the official name of the seat of government from the Flagstaff House to Jubilee House and has thus described it as a misplaced priority on the part of the Akufo-Addo led government.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo gave a hint of the name change when he addressed a meeting with the Upper West Regional House of Chiefs at the presidency on Wednesday.

The name of the building has been a bone of contention between the New Patriotic Party (NPP), and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the past decade depending on which party is in government.

When the current administration took power in January 2017, it was unclear whether the government will maintain the current name (Flagstaff House) or reverse it.

The contemplation is likely to be put to rest now because according to President Akufo-Addo, the name will be reversed to Jubilee House soon.

But former National Security Adviser, Brig. Gen. Nunoo Mensah in an interview with host of Gold Power Drive, Samuel Eshun, thinks there are more pressing issues to be taken care off by the government than prioritizing a name change. He is of the view that renaming the edifice from Flagstaff to Jubilee House will not put food on the table of Ghanaians, and that government must rather prioritize the falling living condition of the populace.

‘’I am sitting down in my room this morning thinking about where to find my next food. A man who was twice chief of defense staff, if am hungry at this moment what about the ordinary Ghanaian down there. My heart bleads if I hear some of this issues like changing of name from Flagstaff House to Jubilee House, Founders Day, etc. There are real issues we should be talking about as a nation’’.

He has, therefore, suggested to the government to build a new edifice and name it Jubilee House if it really wants one than the current practice of renaming existing ones.

‘’No.10 Downing Street is No. 10 Downing Street. You can’t change White House and call it another name. The government should stop this debate and get on with the real job. It is a debate we shouldn’t have time for at this time’’.

It will be recalled that the Akufo Addo government has renamed the Tamale Sports Stadium, the University of Mines and Technology in Tarkwa, amongst others since it assumed power.