The name ‘Flagstaff House,’ Ghana’s seat of government, appears to have been changed to ‘Jubilee House’ by the Akufo-Addo-led New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.
Recent correspondences personally signed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo indicated ‘Jubilee House’ instead of ‘Flagstaff House.’
There has always been a tussle between the current NPP administration and the former National Democratic Congress (NDC) government over what name should actually be used for the seat of government.
Initially called Flagstaff House when Ghana’s first President Kwame Nkrumah re-developed the facility in the 1960s to serve as his official residence and office, the NPP government under President John Agyekum Kufuor, rebuilt the whole place into a top-class edifice and changed the name to (Golden) Jubilee House as a monument in commemoration of Ghana’s 50th independence anniversary.
Before being used by Ghana’s first president, the facility had been used as the residence of the Inspector General of the Gold Coast Constabulary in the colonial days.
However, immediately after the NDC won power in 2009, it reverted to ‘Flagstaff House,’ sparking a heated political debate at the time, especially when John Mahama moved his office to the place from the Osu Castle where his predecessors, the late President John Evans Atta Mills, Presidents John Agyekum Kufuor and Jerry John Rawlings had governed the country from.
Some other names put on important edifices were equally changed.
For instance, the immediate past Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) Chief Executive Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije – now MP for Ablekuma South – led an operation to change the name Ohene Djan Sports Stadium to Accra Sports Stadium, as well as the names of other state facilities in Accra.
The NDC top figures, then in opposition, condemned President Kufuor and his NPP government for what they claimed to be profligate construction of the ‘Jubilee House,’ which was funded by the Indian government with a very low interest on the loan.
Some NDC officials were even on record as saying that they were going to use the facility for poultry – a comment that attracted condemnation from sections of the public.
President Mills did not use the Jubilee House and remained at the Osu Castle; but when President John Mahama took over after the sudden demise of the law professor, he (Mahama) moved into the edifice immediately he controversially won the 2012 election.
The Mahama government started with correspondences on ‘Jubilee Flagstaff House’ letterheads, indicating that it was merging the names.
However, when NDC General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, was asked about the development, he said cabinet had not taken any decision to merge the two names.
Mahama Ayariga, then Minister of Information, had to take responsibility for the gaffe and the name was soon reverted to ‘Flagstaff House.’
Throughout the campaign, then NPP candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo never referred to the seat of government as ‘Flagstaff House.’
During the 2016 electioneering campaign, he said “Everybody should come and ride on the back of the ‘Elephant’” (the NPP, as it uses the elephant as its symbol). “The ‘Elephant’ has entered the White House; let us get the ‘Elephant’ in the Jubilee House.”
Source: Daily Guide
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In the first hundred days of our beloved president Nana Addo,am expecting the cedi to stabilize,am expecting port duties to come down,am expecting fuel prices to also come down.i think these are the basic things that need to be tackle first before changing names and other things.FIRST THING FIRST!thank you Mr president
President Mills did not use the Jubilee House and remained at the Osu Castle; but when President John Mahama took over after the sudden demise of the law professor, he (Mahama) moved into the edifice immediately he controversially won the 2012 election. what sought of nonesense is this Peace FM? Mahama won the 2012 elections and his is the only election which has been further affirmed by the Supreme Court. so like it or not, now, there is no controversy surrounding his election.
IT WAS VERY ANNOYING AND UNREASONABLE FOR NDC TO CHANGE THE NAME JUBILEE HOUSE TO FLAG STAFF HOUSE. THE ACTION OF NDC AT THEN EXPLAINS WHY THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD TO DEVELOP AND GROW THE NATION ANYTIME THAT PARTY COMES TO POWER. ONLY NEGATIVE INDICES GROW WHEN THEY ARE IN POWER. IT WAS ONE OF THEIR FRUITLESS ARGUMENT THAT THE PLACE WAS CALLED FLAGSTAFF HOUSE BEFORE SO THAT NAME SHOULD BE USED. GHANA WAS CALLED COLD COAST BEFORE BUT WE NOW CALL IT GHANA WHEN THE CONDITION OF HISTORY CHANGED DRASTICALLY. SO THE CONDITION OF FLAGSTAFF HOUSE CHANGED DRASTICALLY. AFTER NKRUMAH AND KOTOKA HAD LIVED THERE NO OTHER HEAD OF STATE WENT TO LIVE THERE AGAIN. IN FACT IT WAS ABANDONED AND ALMOST BECAME A GHOST HOUSE. KUFFUOR AT THE GOLDEN JUBILEE OF GHANA SOLICIT FUNDS FROM INDIA TO BUILT THAT MAGNIFICENT BUILDING TO MARK GHANA'S JUBILEE AND TO BE USED AS PRESIDENTIAL HOUSE. IT WAS THEREFORE CALLED A JUBILEE HOUSE. VERY SYMBOLIC AND REMARKABLE TO OUR SOCIO-POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT. MANY SITES WERE BUILT AS WELL IN MANY PLACES OF GHANA TO MARK THE ANNIVERSARY. E.G JACKSON PARK IN KUMASI WAS CHANGED TO BECOME JUBILEE PARK WHEN A COMPLETELY NEW STRUCTURE WERE PUT UP. UNTIL THE BUILDING OF GOLDEN JUBILEE HOUSE THE SEAT OF GOVERNMENT HAD BEEN THE OSU CASTLE FOR OVER FORTY YEARS. AND FOR THAT FORTY YEARS THE FLAGSTAFF HOUSE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE GOVERNANCE OF THIS NATION. THE SPIRIT AND STATUS OF FLAGSTAFF HOUSE WERE NOT IN ANY WAY CONNECTED TO THE GOVERNANCE OF GHANA. THE GOLDEN JUBILEE HOUSE WAS SYMBOLIC TO MARK THE NEW SPIRIT AND PHASE OF GOVERNANCE IN OUR POLITICAL HISTORY. TO CHANGE THE NAME TO FLAGSTAFF HOUSE WAS A CURSE AND BAD OMEN FOR GHANA. TI OVERTURNED THE UPFRONT DRIVE OF GHANA BACKWARD TO CAST A SHADOW OVER THE NATION. IT EVEN CAUSED THE DEATH OF THE MAN WHO LED THE BACKWARDS DRIVE AND PLUNGED HIS SUCCESSOR AND THE NATION INTO A DEEP PIT OF CORRUPTION.FOR GHANA TO DELIVER ITSELF FROM THIS DOWNWARD PATTERN OF GROWTH AND DESTINY, THE SEAT OF GOVERNANCE MUST BE IMMEDIATELY REDEEMED. THE BAD OLD SPIRIT OF THE BLACK STAFF HOUSE MUST BE CHANGED TO A NEW BIRTH OF THE GOLDEN JUBILEE HOUSE.THIS NAME IS PRESIDENTIAL AND IT BEFITS THE NEW IMAGE OF GHANA. IT WAS INSULTING TO THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT WHO ASSISTED TO BUILD THE HOUSE WHEN THE NAME WAS CHANGED. WE CANNOT KEEP ON TO BE DISRESPECTFUL TO OUR INTERNATIONAL FRIENDS WHEN THERE IS NO NEED TO DO THAT. NDC DID NOT HAVE ANY MEANINGFUL AND TANGIBLE REASON WHEN THEY CHANGED THE NAME. THE NEW NAME OF GOLDEN JUBILEE WAS NOT IN VIOLATION OF ANY LAW. THEY HAD DENIGRATE THE BUILDING TO DESCRIBE IT A POULTRY FARM. IT WAS DISRESPECTED FOR THE FACT THAT IT WAS BUILD BY ANOTHER GOVERNMENT OTHER THAN THEY. OUT OF OUT OF ENVY THEY HAVE NO LOVE AND RESPECT FOR THE PLACE. THE ATTITUDE OF NDC AND THE CHANGED OF NAME WAS MEANINGLESS ANNOYING.
What is parliament there for. Get the votes and let's stop spending money on name change.
it was part of the campaign messages. on't get me wrong. hhhahahahahahahah.4 yrs tym they will tell us they changed the name of the seat of government
I think such situations if I was the president I will revert back to the people to decide since reside in the people, so that we can have a closure to this tussle.
None of these names bring food on our tables. Focus on the economy please
MR. PRESIDENT, YOU CAN GIVE THE FACILITY WHATEVER NAME YOU LIKE. AFTER ALL, YOUR GOVERNMENT, LED BY JOHN KUFFOUR BUILT THAT FACILITY. JUBILEE HOUSE ALL THE WAY
This is how NDC clouds our brand and turn round to set up brand office to drain puvblic cash. The building is ranked the world's tenth most beautiful building. Why did they change the name to flagstaff (a pole on which you hang flags). They must be a way to cast Jubilee House into stone which no NDC device can ever change
AKUFO ADDO never referred to the seat of government as FlAGSTAFF House on the campaign trail Very misleading article