Ex-Defence Chief shocked

Former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Ghana Armed Forces, Brig. Gen. Joseph Nunoo-Mensah (Rtd) has expressed shock at the sale of the official residence of the CDS of the Ghana Armed Forces No.1, Roman Ridge, in Accra.

His sentiments were conveyed in a letter, dated August 20, 2008 and addressed to the Minister of Defence, Mr. Albert Kan Dapaah. We publish the letter, copied to the CDS, unedited:

"PROPOSED SALE OF NO.1 ROMAN RIDGE, THE OFFICIAL RESIDENCE OF THE CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF

On Thursday, August 14, 2008, I heard on a Radio Gold programme that the Ministry of Defence was contemplating the sale of No. 1 Roman Ridge, the official residence of the Chief of Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces.

I dismissed the news as frivolous; but then it was repeated the following morning. On hearing the news for the second time, I drove to the Ministry of Defence to find out whether what I heard on the radio was correct. It was confirmed to me that it was absolutely true that the decision had been taken to sell off this very important edifice of the Ghana Armed Forces to a private property developer.

As a former Chief of Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces, I was horrified, to say the least, to hear that the official residence of the Chief of Defence Staff was going to be sold and no alternative arrangement had been made to provide the CDS with a fitting residence. I am pretty sure many retired and serving officers, as well as many ordinary Ghanaians, will not be enthused by the news when it becomes official.

When I enlisted into the Ghana Army in 1960, I learnt that Flagstaff House used to be the official residence of the General Officer Commanding the Ghana Armed Forces until the Prime Minister, Dr. K warne Nkrumah, acquired it as his official residence. The Prime Minister then provided NO.1 Roman Ridge as the official residence of the Chief of the Defence Staff. Successive Chiefs of Defence Staff have occupied this property until after the demise of Lt. Gen. Mensah-Wood when his successors declined to occupy the residence and rather chose to live in various parts of Burma Camp. Since the early 1990s, like the Flagstaff House until recently, No. 1 Roman Ridge was allowed to fall into despair. What is required now is not the sale of the property to a private developer but its complete restoration as a fitting residence of the Chief of Defence Staff. The idea of our Chiefs of Defence Staff living in various parts of Burma Camp is wrong and should not be sustained.

I believe No. 1 Roman Ridge was chosen to be the residence of the Chief of Staff because of its prime location and the huge area it occupies. The Chief of Defence Staff receives a large number of people including students of the Royal College of Defence Studies from the United Kingdom, the Indian National Defence College and many others from across the globe. The property offers an ideal location and ample space to receive this large group of people.

The CDS also has a number of personal staff that have to be on call at short notice. Accommodation is provided for them on the premises. These facilities cannot be provided for within the accommodation currently available at Burma Camp. The government has spent large sums of money to renovate the Flagstaff House and other stately homes like the Peduase Lodge and has restored them to their former glory and, in some instance, far beyond what those properties used to be. There is no reason why No. I Roman Ridge cannot be restored as a fitting residence of the Chief of Defence Staff. The Armed Forces are unlike many other public institutions. Our recent history will testify to that. This is why it is extremely important that issues affecting the Armed Forces are handled with the greatest of care and circumspection.

Our Armed Forces, like many others all over the world have a proud history and a great tradition. NO.1 Roman Ridge is part of that history. The sale of this monument will not go down well within the large sections of the Armed Forces and the general public. It will be seen by many as reckless and insensitive if the government went ahead to sell it on the heels of the sale of Ghana Telecom without providing convincing reasons why such a decision was necessary.

I am available to call at your office to discuss my concerns with you if you so desire.

Thank you and have a good day.

Yours sincerely

Joseph Nunoo-Mensah Brig. Gen."