Confusion At GAFCSC/ STAFF COLLEGE!

The Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC), the highest learning institution of the military in Ghana, is gradually being destroyed by Col COA Nutakor and others. Col Chris Nutakor who is the General Staff Officer Grade One (GSO1) at the College has become the de facto Commandant.

Col Chris Nutakor who hails from the Volta Region has usurped the powers of the Commandant to the chagrin of all well meaning officers and men of the college. It is Col Chris Nutakor who “moves” and “unmoves” the college.

Most officers and men in the college fear him including the Commandant, Deputy Commandant and Director of Studies. They all fear Col Chris Nutakor because he frequents the corridors of power at the Castle and blue gate and nobody wants to lose their appointments as he intermittently warns and threatens.

There was one such occasion when he caused the Deputy Commandant to call an emergency meeting of the chief instructors of Army, Navy and Airforce faculties, the Director of Studies (DOS) and the Members of the Directing Staff.

At the said meeting, after a brief introduction by the Deputy Commandant, One Star Hope Agbenuzah, Col Chris Nutakor went into tantrums saying that some officers had been going round spreading false information that he was the real commandant, commanding and controlling the College and charged offensively on the officers.

The Director of Studies, who is a very senior Colonel, could no longer bear the insubordination of Colonel Nutakor and replied in a very firm and decisive manner to the admiration of all officers.

The DOS retorted that the widely held opinion that he was de facto Commandant was true and backed his assertion with pieces of evidence in a chronological order. The summary of DOS’remarks was that Col Nutakor was holding the college to ransom.

As the GSO1, Col Nutakor is supposed to be the principal Staff Officer to the Commandant to coordinate activities at the College. Rather, Col Nutakor spends more of his time at the Law faculty of the University of Ghana where he is pursuing an LLB programme with Naval Commodore Biekro, the Chief of Staff at the General Headquarters of the Ghana Armed Forces.

Moreover, in the case of Col Nutakor, he locks up the official correspondence and files and leaves for lectures as and when he likes without asking for permission from his superiors. Worst still, he does not delegate his functions and powers to his deputy (the GSO2) thereby stalling and delaying the execution of all programmes at the school.

As if to show where power lies, Col Nutakor has arrogated to himself the use of an official vehicle meant for a Directing Staff from South Africa who unfortunately could not turn up this academic year. The Nissan salon car with registration number GN 8132 Y is being used by Col Nutakor with impunity instead of being reserved for the future use of a South African officer.

What the other officers are wondering over is that if it has become necessary for the vehicle to be used then why would it not be the Director of Studies who is the third in command at the College but Col Nutakor who is even a junior to the Chief Instructors of the Army and Airforce?

Well, the most reprehensible of all the acts of Col Nutakor has to do with the recent study tour of the college to four African countries. Col Nutakor was to lead the team to the Republic of Benin but surreptitiously declined to go because he had to prepare for and write his end of semester and year exams at the law faculty.

Even though Col Nutakor did not participate in the study tour, he signed for an amount of three thousand US dollars. Additionally, he signed for an accountable imprest of five thousands US dollars meant for the team and pocketed another three thousand dollars out of it leaving a balance of two thousand dollars only for the commanding officer of the college who he instructed to lead the team in his absence.

A verification at the office of the financial controller at the college confirmed that indeed, Col Nutakor signed for five thousand dollars but gave only two thousand to the commanding officer claiming that the three thousand dollars was for “admin” and that all the team leaders were to take three thousand out of their imprest accounts for ‘admin” of their superior officers at the College, Services Headquarters and the General Headquarters.

The pocketing of the amount by Col Nutakor has seriously worsened the level of morale and brought disaffection at the college.

Other allegations that are rife at the College centre on the divisions in and factions at the College especially amongst the Academic Staff. The divisions are on tribal and political lines. The Akan officers on the directing staff are generally seen as NPP members while the Ewes, Northerners and Gas pride themselves as NDC members.

As soon as a new member of Directing Staff arrives at the College, he is asked whether he is a member of the NPP or the NDC. Col Nutakor is the one allegedly promoting and fanning the political and tribal divisions in and factions at the college. All the NDC officers are allegedly under the command and control of Col Nutakor who is alleged to be receiving financial and other incentives from the blue gate and sharing them to the members whereas those perceived to be NPP sympathizers are not cared for.

Furthermore, there has been an observation that all lucrative course packages run by or sponsored by the British, other foreign countries and the National Security Secretariat are coordinated by only members of the Col Nutakor-led faction.

It is alleged that an audit from castle recently discovered that an amount of twenty thousand Ghana Cedis cannot be accounted for in relation to a course run last year (2009).