Potpourri Of Deficiencies

The provision of security for the president is a requirement which should not be compromised under any circumstance.

Those who provide this essential service to keep our Number One Citizen safe must be adequately taken care of, otherwise should deficiencies occur, these can affect the optimum performance of these officers.

President Akufo-Addo's Nima residence is being adequately covered by the police, both at the frontage and the rear. Unfortunately, however, the police officers covering the rear side work under rather challenging conditions. These must be addressed if they must deliver their best.

For a long time since these Formed Police Unit (FPU) personnel pitched camp here following the triumph of then candidate Akufo-Addo, they have always taken cover inside the vehicle which serves as both guard headquarters and shelter against the elements.

Some nearby trees have protected them against the record high temperature in the past couple of months, especially since the compartment of their command vehicle could not have been any helpful. How they manage their conveniences remains a mystery with no Portakabin to serve their needs.

As the rainy season is beckoning, a camp tent was erected for them a couple of days ago but without beds or mattresses. While on guard duties they can take turns for short naps, which is why the foregone are needed. Such periodic rests can rejuvenate them when they take over the sentry duty from their colleagues. Here is, therefore, a call on the authorities to provide them with all that they require to discharge their duties efficiently. Four beds and a camp light won't be a bad idea. If the security of the White House can be breached as occasional scaling of the wall as has been reported, the president's residence can also suffer such breaches if those manning the place are worn out by fatigue.

For two months, the rear side of the president's residence was pitch dark as the street lights had no bulbs. It took the intervention of the assemblyman through the contractor responsible for such tasks to lighten up the place.

That is not all. The relevant state agency, could be the Department of Urban Roads or whichever, should dispatch a team to come and inspect the rear side of the same residence and advise themselves about the eyesore that the place is.

The road is riddled with embarrassing potholes which feature pools of dirty water from nearby houses because the gutter ends abruptly in the street. The eyesore presented is not out of the sight of the streams of tourists who put up in a nearby hostel.

There is no way these tourists would not know that the president's residence is overlooking the unseemly spectacle.

We have also observed the asphalting of the portion of the Ring Road Central as it passes close to the Nima Police Station and the president's Nima residence. We are unable to doff our hats for the Department of Urban Roads which we think is responsible for the works because the side of the road where pedestrians use is contrasting markedly with the asphalted. The pitch black asphalted road dwarfs the potholed side road and the median overgrown with wild grass.

Pedestrians risk their lives competing the main road with motorists.

These are important observations which the relevant authorities must address because they take away from the beauty and sanity which the surroundings of the president's residence should exude.

Extending the asphalting to the rear side of the president's house would be a good idea. Has anybody read us, who can order such an action?