End This Game Of Thrones, Mr. President!

The cacophony that greeted the decision taken by National Security to evict squatters around the home of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is, to a large extent, a needless one.

But for politics, everyone in Ghana knows that having an incumbent President coming from your neighbourhood goes with some pride but also comes with a price – Security.

What is, however, irritating to the ear is the contention, mostly by some political commentators to the effect that the President was merely trailing the paths laid by his predecessors. And so what? Is it not time to stop and think as a people?

Yes, we all know that apart from Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and Dr. Hilla Liman, every elected Ghanaian head of state had in one way or the other spited the official seat of government.

It started with Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia, who chose to daily shuttle between his Odorkor residence and the Flagstaff House for reasons best known to himself.

This was followed by former President Jerry John Rawlings, who operated from the Osu Castle (the official seat of government) but had to be escorted regularly to his Ridge residence, where his wife, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings lived and used as her office.

Then came President John Agyekum Kufuor, who, between 2001 and 2008, used the Osu Castle as office but preferred to live in his private home at the Airport Residential Area. His excuse was that he had a large family. His other ‘acceptable’ excuse was that the nearly three-century-old slave house was getting dilapidated and therefore not befitting of a country that had gained independence fifty years earlier.

It therefore came as a shock to many students of Ghana’s political history that, even after constructing the $82 million dream edifice for presidential use, Kufuor’s successors would not make full use of the Golden Jubilee House, which was ranked as the world’s 10^th most beautiful presidential palace at the time.

As for the late President John Evans Atta-Mills, he did not even use the place at all for political reasons.

Like Busia, John  Mahama also chose to work from the Flagstaff House, but would rather live in his Cantonments residence.

And fifteen long months into the administration of Nana Akufo-Addo, the country is still struggling with providing adequate security for the President because he too wants to live in his private residence at Nima.

We at THE PUBLISHER are of the view that being President of Ghana is an exorbitant privilege that should go beyond the mere comfort of living in one’s neighbourhood.

The paper believes that President Akufo-Addo can be the starting point towards ending the game of thrones, by moving fully to the place provided for him by the state; and so do majority of Ghanaians.

When he called on them to be citizens, and not spectators, they agreed. It is also time for the President to heed to their views.

This is a greasy pole that must be climbed by one leader, and Akufo-Addo can be that man.