President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s decision to continue staying in his Nima residence after becoming president was unsound, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, a former Deputy Minister of Communications, has said.

According to him, the state has provided for an accommodation with proper security arrangement for the president, therefore, he wondered why Mr Akufo-Addo has refused to live in that edifice.

Artisans and traders near the president’s private residence have been given an ultimatum to move over security reasons.

The Minister of Information, Mustapha Hamid in a statement said, among other things that: “In view of the security implications of the operations of the traders and artisans National Security proceeded to engage with them and compensation packages of varied sums were agreed on.

“President Akufo-Addo has taken the view that the national purse should not be burdened on a matter such as this, and has gone on to pay those compensations from his personal resources.”

But commenting on this development on his Facebook page, Mr Kwakye Ofosu said: “This intervention by the Information Minister fails to address the substance of the issue at hand. The security implications referenced in the statement are contrived in so far as they stem directly from the failure and or refusal of the President to use state accommodation that comes with adequate security measures.

“Vulnerable neighbours plying their trade in the vicinity of his private residence should not suffer a disruption in their livelihoods on account of that flawed decision.”