General News of Tuesday, 10 January 2023

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

No one could wear shorts, T-shirt to meet John Mahama – Former Chief of Staff

Former President John Dramani Mahama play videoFormer President John Dramani Mahama

Prosper Bani, a Chief of Staff under former president John Dramani Mahama has waded into recent developments related to the presidency in the wake of vira footage that showed that some parts of the Jubilee House had been filmed for a music video.

The video was released by American rapper Meek Mill who recently met President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo while in Ghana for a musical concert.

Prosper Bani described the episode as disappointing and unfortunate stressing that it could not have happened under his tenure because of strict security formalities at the Jubilee House.

He said in an interview with Joy News (January 9), “They should keep the seat of government as a security space and that is how we managed the place under president John Dramani Mahama.

“It was one that was dignified, one that had respect and you couldn’t come to the Flagstaff House when I was Chief of Staff to see the president in summer shorts, in T-shirts and not properly dressed to meet the highest office holder of the land,” he stressed.

With respect to what visitors could or could not do, he explained: “Secondly, there are certain activities you cannot undertake within the space of the presidency and to record a musical video around sensitive places around the presidency is rather unfortunate.”

He added that because the Flagstaff House was considered a security zone, all visitors required express permission and clearance to bring in phones and what they could use them for and or any video recording equipment.

Meek Mill and the Jubilee House video brouhaha

American rapper Meek Mill, Jubilee House and White House have been in Ghana's Twitter trends since January 8, 2022 when the musician released a promo for his new video.

Meek Mill is sighted in different places at the presidency, from the frontage, through the main corridors, in the main conference hall – at a point positioned behind the presidential lectern - and later in a sitting area, rapping.

Social media users were incensed about what they describe as near desecration of the presidency, citing moral and security grounds.

Meek Mill has since the outrage on social media deleted the controversial video and also rendered an unqualified apology to Ghanaians and to the presidency for the brouhaha he had caused.

Watch the video as released by Meek Mill below: