OWING to the indelible mark he left in the area of intelligence gathering, and his crucial abilities to analyse and decipher information, the most fitting honour for Dr. Roger Luncheon was the renaming of the National Intelligence Security Agency (NISA) to the Doctor Roger Forbes Luncheon Building, President, Dr. Irfaan Ali has said.
The building was renamed during a simple ceremony on Friday.

During the ceremony, President Ali said that given Dr. Luncheon’s input into the country’s national development, it is fitting that the building be renamed after him.
“Luncheon’s role and his input in national development with a strong understanding of national security, that combination is what made him exceptional and different. Because here’s a man that understood everything from national security level had to be integrated with National Development,” President Ali related.
The Head of State said that intelligence is not about spying, but it is about gathering timely, relevant information to ensure the safety and security of the country and its people.
The President said that one of the most important things about intelligence is one’s ability to understand what constitutes a threat.
“It is the ability to decipher and that was Dr. Luncheon’s strength, his ability to go through stacks of information and then put on his desk what the relevant issues are that must be dealt with,” he related.

President Ali said that not only is the building dedicated to Dr. Luncheon, but also every day, the men and women in uniform who come out and stand up to protect the country, are fulfilling the legacy of late longstanding public servant.

“He has left an indelible footprint on our nation’s security architecture. Therefore, it’s fitting that the NISA building should be named in his honour. In so doing, we’re not only paying homage to a man of exceptional caliber, but also associating his legacy with the important work of protecting our motherland,” he said.
Dr. Luncheon has played a central role in shaping the country’s national security policies and plans.

“As the Secretary of the Defense Board for many years, he acted in coordinating efforts to protect our homeland from internal and external threats. His dedication to the well-being of our citizens and his tireless work in maintaining law and order is a public record,” President Ali said.
He added that in addition to the renaming, as a person enters the building, there will be different aspects of Dr. Luncheon’s work on display and at an appropriate time, a bust of Dr. Luncheon will also be placed in the lobby of the building.

“This building stands as a testament to the fact that our commitment to security is unyielding, and that we will continue to invest in the resources, knowledge and skills necessary to protect our nation,” President Ali said.

Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Brigadier Omar Khan, said that at the core of the national security sector exists the sacred realm of state intelligence, for which Dr. Luncheon was pivotal in shaping its evolution.

“The dedication of the NISA, therefore, is a just move fitting for the giant of a man he was. Dr. Luncheon did not only shape lives, he shaped progress, important progress for National Development and Security; this is a concept he held dearly, and was able to address through the application of an improved intelligence structure, and it was the support to this field of intelligence that Dr. Luncheon brought stability to national development,” he said.