Open Letter To The Vice President

THE “FJ I” PRESIDENTIAL JET

Your Excellency,

Let me foremost congratulate you, your office and the Presidency for the dignity, integrity, honour and respect that Ghana has earned among her contemporaries on the African Continent under the able leadership of His Excellency President John Evans Atta Mills and your good self since taking the reins of government twenty (20) months ago.

Indeed the progress and international goodwill that Ghana has chalked up under your management cannot be over emphasized for many citizens, both home and away, can boldly rise to be counted as citizens of this great nation.

Your Excellency, I have been brainstorming on the appropriate name that the Falcon EX 900 new jet should be christened soon after you commissioned it on October 7, 2010. I congratulate His Excellency the President for doing the right thing once again, by going ahead to procure the Falcon EX 900 for Executive travels to replace the thirty-seven (37) year old “Fokker 28” aka the “Flying Coffin”. I guess that name scares you even more than it does to us as we are constantly reminded of the grave danger the continuous flying of this jet poses to the Presidency and the good people of Ghana.

Your Excellency, I have been day dreaming about a befitting name to be given this new jet . A name that would tell a tale of this aircraft; a name that will totally obliterate the chills that of the “flying coffin” send down our spines each time it taxies and subsequently airborne with His Excellency the President and other government officials aboard.

Your Excellency, let me share with you the ideas that came to me in my deep thoughts over the best names possible for the Falcon EX 900 Executive jet and why these suggestions:

i. THE “FJ 1”:

“Freedom and Justice” (FJ) is the motto of this great nation Ghana adopted the night Dr. Kwame Nkrumah declared Ghana an Independent state on March 6, 1957. The words contained in this motto embody the democratic spirit of Ghana and I propose that these words must be etched on the Falcon EX 900 to open a new chapter to the return to the virtues in our motto as a nation. “Freedom and Justice”, our motto, will thus be flown with the Presidency into the air spaces of the world and on the tarmac of every jurisdiction where it touches down. This jet will be a great ambassador of Ghana’s gold, our wealth, our oil, our culture, our democracy and our future in Africa and to the nations of the world.

ii. THE “FJ 6-6-3”

“Freedom and Justice” our motto and our pride is duly captured in this name as well. Additionally, the first “6” represent the “Big Six” who were arrested and incarcerated as part of nationalist activities leading to Ghana’s fight against Indirect Rule in the colonial era.

The second “6” tells the tale of the Day Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah declared Ghana an Independent state at the Polo grounds in Accra.

The “3’ represents “March” the month of our Independence celebrations.

Therefore the name “FJ 663” tells the complete story of Ghana’s Independence History.

iii. The “FJ L”:

Your Excellency, again the relevance of the spirit and letter of our motto, “Freedom and Justice” cannot be over-emphasized.

The “L” is obviously the Roman numeral for the Figure “50”. Fifty is the Golden Jubilee year of Ghana and it is significant to be embossed on the Falcon EX900 Executive jet for no other reason than the fact that the Jet was procured when we attained fifty (50) years of our independence. This jet is expected to fly the Presidency for the next thirty-five (35) years, thus it stands to reason that Ghana would be making her next move to buy another Executive jet when we are eighty-five (85) years old as a nation. At that point, all we would need to do with the new Jet in thirty-five (35) years is simply to replace the “L” (50) with “LXXXV” or the Figure “85” to signify the birthday of Ghana within which that new jet is going to be bought.

This system, Your Excellency, will enable the Executive Jet tell her own story of its acquisition and use by the state and to emphasis the number of years and decades that Ghana had been a democratic state and an Independent one at that.

Your Excellency, the consideration of any of the above suggested names for the christening of our newly acquired Falcon EX900 Executive jet is to put to a permanent rest the debate about what name and what colours, (be it partisan, tribal, or religious), Ghana’s Executive Jet should fly from now till the end of time.

The presence of our motto ‘Freedom and Justice” etched on our Presidential Jet, will afford Ghana a golden opportunity to reignite the spirit of patriotism and nationalism among our citizens all over the world, as they will find a place in their hearts to continually promote the Freedoms that our forefathers fought for and the social Justice that we seek to promote as a nation.

Our democracy will be role model to many nations of Africa and the world will look up to us to chart that shining path to democratize many of Africa’s despotic regimes as ambassadors of the rule of law, good governance and the respect for Human Rights.

Your Excellency, these are but my humble thoughts on an appropriate name that the New Presidential Jet should fly.

I am convinced that my thoughts will be given some considerations anytime Your Excellency makes a decision to christen the Falcon EX 900 Executive Jet to reflect the spirit, the soul and the aspirations of the good people of Ghana.

God Bless our Homeland Ghana and Long Live His Excellency the President!

Faithfully yours,

Elolo.