An age-old Military ceremonial parade was immaculately enacted at the forecourt of the Jubilee House by a joint team of men, women and officers of the Navy and the Air Force in Accra yesterday.
Known as “Change of Guard,” personnel of the Air Force took over from the Army after a four-month tour of duty at the Presidency. The event was witnessed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, top brass of the Armed Forces and the Inspector-General of Police.
The traditional ceremony, inherited from the nation’s colonial masters, saw the display of slow and quick marches by the personnel, interspersed with various formations of fighter jets and traditional symbols mounted by four officers and 84 men, and a joint regimented band which provided soothing music to accompany the drills.
They were also treated to displays such as “Calypso” drills and exercise halt that attracted a long round of applause from the gathering.
The ceremony, the 40th of its kind at the Jubilee House, was also witnessed by pupils from Victory Presbyterian Church School, Frafraha; Mt Olivet Methodist Academy, Dansoman; Crown of Heaven International School, Pokuase-Aduman; Christland Community School, Ofankor, and Flohounn Educational Complex located in the Ablekuma North Municipality. Each of the children had the opportunity to interact with President Akufo-Addo and the military leadership and also took pictures with them.
The children later asked questions about the ceremony, issues of governance and other matters pertaining to national development.
Significance The guard changing event, formerly a purely military only ceremony, has now evolved and is open to schoolchildren to interact and acquaint themselves with activities at the Presidency to inspire them to achieve greater laurels in life by applying themselves diligently to their studies, like the military went about the precision drills.
The military in their usual style of discipline, pride, diligence and teamwork, undertake the ceremony as part of measures to ensure their alertness and readiness at all times, as well as their availability and serviceability of equipment.
The ceremony is also meant to assess the strength of the soldiers on duty, ensure maximum security at the duty point and strengthen unity and esprit de corps among them.
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