Former Greater Accra Regional Minister Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus Glover has criticised the reported GH¢1.5 million spent on Ghana’s 69th Independence Day celebration held at the Jubilee House, describing the amount as excessive.
Speaking during an interview on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem programme, Glover said he strongly disagrees with the government’s explanation regarding the cost of the scaled-down celebration. According to him, organising the national event within the Presidency should not require such a large expenditure.
He argued that if the event took place at Jubilee House rather than a large public venue, the cost should have been significantly lower. For that reason, he said the GH¢1.5 million figure raises questions about how the funds were used.
Glover also compared the current approach with how previous Independence Day celebrations were organised under the administration of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. He noted that during that period the national celebration was rotated across different regions of the country.
According to him, hosting the event in various regional capitals such as Ho, Tamale, Kumasi, and Cape Coast allowed people outside Accra to participate directly in the celebrations while also showcasing the cultural heritage of different parts of Ghana.
Although he acknowledged that organising national celebrations across multiple regions can involve substantial costs, Glover believes the broader benefits outweigh the expenses. In his view, decentralising the event promotes national unity and gives citizens across the country a sense of inclusion.
The former Member of Parliament for Tema East therefore argued that spreading the celebration across different regions is more meaningful than centralising it in Accra, as it highlights Ghana’s diversity and allows more citizens to be part of the historic occasion.
