Peduase Lodge in total ruins

THE Peduase Lodge, constructed in 1959 during the reign of Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, to serve as a presidential holiday resort, is in total ruins.

Located at Kitase on top of the Akuapem Ridge, the lodge, which used to be one of the finest architectural edifices in Africa, has deteriorated to the extent that it is now an eyesore.

The lodge has not seen any major rehabilitation for more than 25 years. Leakages in the imposing four-storey building, which houses a library, swimming pool and theatre complex as well as guard and staff quarters, have caused extensive damage to the concrete structures and the interior decorations.

When a Graphic team was conducted on an extensive tour of the lodge last Friday, it was discovered that the paint has been completely washed off and the curtains are gradually being reduced to rags.

The terrazzo floors are cracked all over the place and granite stones in the bath and dressing rooms are breaking up.

Facilities such as water systems, telephone lines, security camera network and elevators are not working and the lighting system is also faulty.

At the four-bedroom presidential suite and the four executive guest suites, some of the beds are broken down and are being destroyed by termites. Portions of the ceiling have decayed as a result of leakage.

All kinds of receptacles have been placed in the presidential rooms to collect water that leaks through the cracked ceilings anytime it rains. The private and main halls have become stuffy and there is nothing to write home about the pantry and the once magnificent fountain.

The expensive custom-made carpets, imported into the country since 1992, ostensibly for renovation works, have been left to deteriorate.

At the library, swimming pool and the theatre the story is not different.

There is not a single book at the once well-stocked library. Part of the library has been turned into a meeting place and offices for the caretakers. The only facility functioning at the theatre is the adjustable stage and electric system.

The zoo has been dismantled, while the poultry farm and cricket oval have been abandoned.

Speaking in an interview later, the Deputy Controller of the Presidential Household in charge of the lodge, Mr Francis Agyeman-Dua, said the place has become an eyesore.

He said the deteriorating conditions at the lodge saddens him because and underscored the need to save the national asset from further decay.

Meanwhile, the state is spending huge sums of money every month to maintain more than 80 workers from the Ghana National Fire Service, Ghana Police Service, Electricity Company of Ghana, Presidential Household and Parks and Gardens.

The former Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Kwamena Bartels, is on record to have said that the state will require ¢7 billion to rehabilitate and refurbish the lodge.

The lodge served as the residency for President Edward Akufo Addo and President Dr Hilla Limann. It has also served as a place for relaxation for all the country's leaders as well as venue for important national events and meetings.

The mediation talks between General Yakubu Gowon and Colonel Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu the Biafran Leader during the Biafran war was held at the Peduase Lodge.