Face-lift at Flagstaff House: next Presidential home?

Accra - The good news is that the Flagstaff House, the official residence of Dr Kwame Nkrumah during his nine-year rule as head of Government of this country, is being given a face-lift. After Presidential horses had grazed on the lawns and defaced the former residence of the Commander in chief of the Armed Forces, authorities have decided that improving the lot of Flagstaff House would be in the interest of those who take political decisions in this country.

Now the not so good news... Take it from the bald old man, the renovation is one clever trick to re-locate the next President's residence outside the Slave Castle. It is one thoughtful action taken to preserve the shrines and fetishes that may in the near future, make the living quarters especially, a tourist attraction for those who regularly visit the Akunadi shrine from abroad.

The last time I got a guided tour of the area, it reminded the bald old man of what the farming fields in Angola and Mozambique would look like. Removing all the super-natural objects from the seat of Government would have the equivalent of removing land-mines from the killing fields of the former Portuguese colonies in Southern Africa.

The Castle, unlike the Elmina edifice, the first colonial building to be put up in this country, bore no Portuguese handiwork. But after 18 years of close collaboration with the Denu frog shrine and other cult institutions, the Castle is beginning to have a feel of the super- natural which reminds the bald old man of the occupation in the 17the century of Asamani and his warriors from Akwamu.

The Akwamus captured the then Christianborg Castle from the Dutch who had themselves seized it from the Danes, who put up the edifice.

That is a bit if history lesson for SSS students, many of whom have very little idea of the proud history of this country.

The other day, one of my grand children came visiting after finishing his last paper as an SSS student from Achimota. After quite a bit of conversation trying to find out the trial and tribulation of a secondary school student, I asked whether Adu Boahen's Topics in West African History is still in use.

It was as if the young man had been asked to tell the number of strand of hair that once graced the bald old head. He had never heard of Adu Boahen let alone his scholarly appreciation of West African history.

Education these days is as relevant to the needs of the country as the occupant of the Castle has done to reduce poverty.

The Castle is awash with rumour. What is certain is that the Chief of Staff has not been seen of late. Nana Ato Dadzie, a chief in his own right in the Gomoa District of the Central Region is reported to be unwell. What is yet to be unravelled is what actually is afflicting the man who took over the job of Col S.Y. Baryeh, when former solder failed to arrive from Britain in the passenger seat.

As the debate rages on whether or not the Chief of Staff would benefit from a trip to Cromwell Hospital in London, it is yet to be unravelled whether the chief of Staff's illness has anything to do with a trip to Benin.

There are those who swear that the liver and kidney failure that sent the former army colonel to his grave worsened too quickly to be natural. So was former Central Regional Secretary Ato Austen.

Before being flown on his no-return trip to London, Ato wondered why his liver and kidneys were suddenly failing.

He did not hate the booze. But Ato was not that kind of person who usually honoured appointment with hard liquor. Former PNDC Member Brigadier Mensah-Wood also died from liver and kidney failure.

So far the only person who has made the return journey from Cromwell in the passenger seat, is good old Shirley Ayittey, Managing Director of GIHOC Distilleries better known for keeping the records of the accounts of the 31st December Movement.

After series of studies I, Asebu Amenfi, can report that overwork could not solely be responsible for these mystery deaths. Book a date with the bald old man next week.