The Inquirer (Monrovia)
19 November 2007
The Ministry of National Defense has commenced a massive rehabilitation of the historic Post Stockade detention center, which was used by the government in the past to detain military personnel and political prisoners.
The decision by the Ministry to commence the rehabilitation of the detention center comes in the wake of a pronouncement by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf that government would transform the facility to a museum due to its historic legacy.
Sometime, this year, when she visited the Post Stockade, President Sirleaf, who had just visited her prison room at the Post Stockade, where she was detained in the 80s, after she was held for sedition by the former government of Samuel Doe, proposed the need to transform the facility into a museum, something, which has been embraced in many quarters.
In an effort to make the President's dream come true, the Ministry of National Defense with funding from the Liberian government is carrying out a massive renovation work of the Post Stockade facilities.
Deputy Defense Minister for Administration, Othello Daniel Warrick, who led journalists on a conducted tour of the rehabilitation work at the Post Stockade said the decision by the Ministry clearly suggests that the Ministry is not just involved in the restructuring process of the new army, but that it is also involved with plans to carryout massive rehabilitation of historical facilities that are of relevance to the history of the country.
Minister Warrrick said the Ministry is implementing the rehabilitation work, with the aim of maintaining the integrity of the post stockade and turning it over to the government to be used as a museum as President Sirleaf has proposed.
He said in addition to rehabilitating the main building that was used for the detention of prisoners, the Ministry is also rehabilitating the main office building of the prison center stressing that the Ministry intends to break down all buildings within the periphery of the property of the Post Stockade.
Minister Wrarrick called on the public especially those still occupying structures within the vicinity of the Post Stockade, to take note that the Ministry is restoring the facility of the prison center for historical reason.
He added that already, the Ministry has commenced the demolition of structures that are within the property of the facility of the Post Stockade stressing that all those occupying structures around the facility should vacate immediately.
Speaking further, he said the rehabilitation of the Post Stockade is just the first phase of the many work the Ministry intends to carryout on major military facilities across the country stressing that in addition to the Post Stockade rehabilitation, the Ministry has renovated 20 bed-room apartments at the Edward Beyan Kesseley Military Barracks.
According to Deputy Minister Warrick, renovation work on the facilities at the Coast Guard Base, on the Bushrod Island has also commenced and will be used by the AFL Band Unit.
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