Last week, certainly wasn’t a good one, not due to my own manoeuvring but because I was more than saddened by the unfortunate commentary and line of thinking from pessimistic and ill informed persons. Empty barrels, they say, make the most noise: no wonder little minds never seem to appreciate visions but delight in rumble rousing in an attempt to surpass ‘rhythms’ of development and foresight.
A well informed luminary, social advocate and potential president of the nation speaks on his vision and source of implementation, and even admonishes his competitor to-be to sit up. Instead of thinking through and applauding such acts of constructiveness, the intended recipients’ has rather sought to cloud this act of intelligence with petty rhetoric and countless but needless history.
To kick start, a Deputy Minister of Information, who has admitted to partaken and even promoted the concocting of development, is at it once more, trying to kill a dream. This character is heard preaching a gradualist approach to development saying that countries like Indonesia and Malaysia could attain great heights because of stability in governance.
Point well made but this statement only exposed a person with no principle and critical thinking. Indeed it’s only out of ignorance that the mouse attacks the cat. Here is a person who is part of an administration that came riding on the back of not just a coup d’ état but numerous illegalities. This nation would have been fulfilling some of the big dreams already but for the needless interruptions of his root and wicked propaganda.
His only commendation comes up for knowing that, development is through sustained governance and policies. Where was this line of thought in 2008? When the nation was feeling and experiencing the real boom in industries. Though you gained a thumbs’ up for that exhibition of sensibility, the current spate of ‘virtual’ development is not the kind that needs retention. All we see is a mirage of development, of which only liked minded people, his cohorts, point and conceptualize.
Indeed, the opposition leader would not only be but remain the most popular and visionary presidential hopeful come 2012. Why else would his comments be sought on every issue of national consent? The man has already shown the way and would not waste time responding to ‘little minds’. What else would be the response of a man your colleagues sought to corner with affection for the fairer sex? Read in between the lines and realize the vogue challenge thrown. No sane mind from our side of the world would certainly condone that ‘pervasion’.
About closing the chapter but just realized the need to educate a General Secretary who happens to be ill informed and obviously not able to discern ‘electronic verification’ in this era of Information Technology.
Hope the buzzing around and open display of naivety on ‘electronic verification’ ends with the subsequent lecture or schooling. Biometric data is collated and transformed to scan-codes, the information associated with the codes is held in a database. The scan-code then happens to be a primary key used to obtain data. How would the scan-code be obtained? Off course, by use of a device and not a mere look of reference. Hence a process called ‘electronic verification’. Is this too difficult to decode? It shouldn’t be for people who really evaluated and vouched for roles like yours. Only mentally imbalance persons, not illiterates, would encounter problems with the physical usage of this mechanism.
2012 would tell what ‘by all means’ really means. This statement is been the source of motivation for some of us. To any true patriot, this means, give your best even without resources or funding. This reminds us of the NPP’s TESCON slogan ‘commitment without inducement’.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Can We Have Such A President?
When will an elected President of Ghana at his inaugural address tell us (Ghanaians):
"Ladies and Gentlemen,
"Whilst thanking you all for the confidence repose in me, please accept my apologies, especially those who voted and supported me. I will be a very disappointing president! If you voted for me in return of a direct favour from me, if you supported me financially with the hope of winning contracts, if you campaigned for me day and night because you wanted a ministerial appointment, your dreams are dashed!
"I strongly believe that by the end of my tenure, I would have made more enemies than friends and the reason is simple. I will insist the right thing is done! We must respect our laws. Political party affiliation will no longer serve as immunity from prosecution...
"The focus of my administration will be the next generation and not the next elections..."
When ooooooooo When????????????
"Ladies and Gentlemen,
"Whilst thanking you all for the confidence repose in me, please accept my apologies, especially those who voted and supported me. I will be a very disappointing president! If you voted for me in return of a direct favour from me, if you supported me financially with the hope of winning contracts, if you campaigned for me day and night because you wanted a ministerial appointment, your dreams are dashed!
"I strongly believe that by the end of my tenure, I would have made more enemies than friends and the reason is simple. I will insist the right thing is done! We must respect our laws. Political party affiliation will no longer serve as immunity from prosecution...
"The focus of my administration will be the next generation and not the next elections..."
When ooooooooo When????????????
Monday, September 26, 2011
Nuuno Mensah: A Shame to the Presidency
Last week Wednesday was a sad day for those of us working on this newspaper. We were sad for the disaster that happened on the Volta Lake. That aside, the most disgraceful thing that happened that day was when we called the National Security Advisor, Brigadier General Joseph Nunoo-Mensah, over issues concerning the imported 2150 bags of rice which he explained was a pure “gift” to the Presidency from an unnamed person.
73 year old Brigadier General Nuuno Mensah instead of answering the questions posed by the paper rather told the Editor to stop following how the rice got into the country and who imported it and that DAYBREAK should rather focus its attention on the diplomatic gossip, called “Wikileaks”, which according to him was “exciting”.
“Your case is not a case at all….talk about the Wikileaks because it is exciting” were the shameful words spewed from his mouth.
What saddens us most is that General Nuuno Mensah is President Mills’ Chief Advisor on national security matters and we wonder the type of advice he offers the President when his views are sought. Why is America seeking to protect the over 4000 informants whose names have popped out? The politics of Lebanon should even tell him something?
It is surprising that General Nuuno Mensah takes pleasure in the diplomatic gossip from the leaked cables of the United States of America and we on this paper doubt whether he is aware of what is going on in terms of his area of specialty on which he gives advice to the President. We can cite many examples but we won’t.
The Management and Publishers of DAYBREAK still stand by the text message our Editor sent him and we agree with our Editor that he is A DISGRACE TO THE PRESIDENCY.
If, it is for political capital for the office he holds then the old General who normally veers off the road when talking to him or granting a radio interview should re-think again.
General Nuuno Mensah is very narrow-minded. We can say so because he came to limelight by the politicization of the Ghana Armed Forces. He prides himself as the only officer of the Ghana Armed Forces to have been appointed Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) on two occasions. Yet, he fails to add that he won that accolade courtesy Jerry Rawlings who on those two occasions staged military coups to overthrow incumbent governments, one military (SMC II) and the other constitutional (the PNP Administration led by the late Dr Hilla Limann).
Readers should recollect his “hand over to whom” response when on an official trip to Nigeria in 1982 he was asked when the PNDC would hand over to a democratically elected government. Because at that time, he was the head of the Armed Forces and a member of the PNDC (both the Legislative and Executive Organs of government), he could not imagine that the PNDC would hand over power to any other body
When he fell out of love with the P/NDC he joined the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and became its Parliamentary Candidate for Winneba/Efutu Constituency. When he failed to win the Parliamentary seat and lost the “monopoly” he enjoyed in the NPP on Defence and security matters especially those concerning Rawlings and the P/NDC, he became disillusioned, frustrated and hungry for power.
Consequently, he left the NPP and re-joined the P/NDC where together with other military opportunists he started telling lies about the Military High Command under President JA Kufuor like the very lies he told the NPP about Jerry Rawlings.
As for his claims that he is 73years and our Editor should watch the way he speaks and writes else he cannot even attain 50 years, we can only reply him that age is just a number and some teenagers may be more sensible than some octogenarians.
Secondly, Nuuno Mensah just does not get it. His gray hair does not make him the giver and taker of life who can decide on how many years one should live on earth depending on who pleases him and who does not. After all it is not even a guarantee that he would live to see tomorrow. We remind him of the saying that both green and dry leaves do fall from trees.
This is not the first time our Editor has been told about his age and reminded of death by elements close to the Presidency.
Lieutenant Colonel AK Gbevlo Lartey was the first to pass such a comment when our Editor wanted to find out whether his office was putting up an office complex for a pot-belly Editor in his father’s house at Kanda. Our Editor was detained by personnel of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) headed by Yaw Donkor under the instructions of this same Nuuno Mensah.
In the Wikileaks that won’t expose the fraud like somebody somewhere importing rice into the country and using the Chief Of State (a position which does exist) and the President’s Office as a consignee, it is stated that President Mills has “surrounded himself with inexperienced advisors who are providing poor counsel” and we think General Nuuno Mensah is one of the best examples.
Shame Again!
73 year old Brigadier General Nuuno Mensah instead of answering the questions posed by the paper rather told the Editor to stop following how the rice got into the country and who imported it and that DAYBREAK should rather focus its attention on the diplomatic gossip, called “Wikileaks”, which according to him was “exciting”.
“Your case is not a case at all….talk about the Wikileaks because it is exciting” were the shameful words spewed from his mouth.
What saddens us most is that General Nuuno Mensah is President Mills’ Chief Advisor on national security matters and we wonder the type of advice he offers the President when his views are sought. Why is America seeking to protect the over 4000 informants whose names have popped out? The politics of Lebanon should even tell him something?
It is surprising that General Nuuno Mensah takes pleasure in the diplomatic gossip from the leaked cables of the United States of America and we on this paper doubt whether he is aware of what is going on in terms of his area of specialty on which he gives advice to the President. We can cite many examples but we won’t.
The Management and Publishers of DAYBREAK still stand by the text message our Editor sent him and we agree with our Editor that he is A DISGRACE TO THE PRESIDENCY.
If, it is for political capital for the office he holds then the old General who normally veers off the road when talking to him or granting a radio interview should re-think again.
General Nuuno Mensah is very narrow-minded. We can say so because he came to limelight by the politicization of the Ghana Armed Forces. He prides himself as the only officer of the Ghana Armed Forces to have been appointed Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) on two occasions. Yet, he fails to add that he won that accolade courtesy Jerry Rawlings who on those two occasions staged military coups to overthrow incumbent governments, one military (SMC II) and the other constitutional (the PNP Administration led by the late Dr Hilla Limann).
Readers should recollect his “hand over to whom” response when on an official trip to Nigeria in 1982 he was asked when the PNDC would hand over to a democratically elected government. Because at that time, he was the head of the Armed Forces and a member of the PNDC (both the Legislative and Executive Organs of government), he could not imagine that the PNDC would hand over power to any other body
When he fell out of love with the P/NDC he joined the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and became its Parliamentary Candidate for Winneba/Efutu Constituency. When he failed to win the Parliamentary seat and lost the “monopoly” he enjoyed in the NPP on Defence and security matters especially those concerning Rawlings and the P/NDC, he became disillusioned, frustrated and hungry for power.
Consequently, he left the NPP and re-joined the P/NDC where together with other military opportunists he started telling lies about the Military High Command under President JA Kufuor like the very lies he told the NPP about Jerry Rawlings.
As for his claims that he is 73years and our Editor should watch the way he speaks and writes else he cannot even attain 50 years, we can only reply him that age is just a number and some teenagers may be more sensible than some octogenarians.
Secondly, Nuuno Mensah just does not get it. His gray hair does not make him the giver and taker of life who can decide on how many years one should live on earth depending on who pleases him and who does not. After all it is not even a guarantee that he would live to see tomorrow. We remind him of the saying that both green and dry leaves do fall from trees.
This is not the first time our Editor has been told about his age and reminded of death by elements close to the Presidency.
Lieutenant Colonel AK Gbevlo Lartey was the first to pass such a comment when our Editor wanted to find out whether his office was putting up an office complex for a pot-belly Editor in his father’s house at Kanda. Our Editor was detained by personnel of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) headed by Yaw Donkor under the instructions of this same Nuuno Mensah.
In the Wikileaks that won’t expose the fraud like somebody somewhere importing rice into the country and using the Chief Of State (a position which does exist) and the President’s Office as a consignee, it is stated that President Mills has “surrounded himself with inexperienced advisors who are providing poor counsel” and we think General Nuuno Mensah is one of the best examples.
Shame Again!
Friday, September 2, 2011
Letter To General Nuuno Mensah!
The much awaited second major postings/appointments and promotions of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) for the year 2011 finally berthed on Friday 22nd July at about 9:30 pm.
The postings/appointments and promotions had been heralded by tension, trade-offs, compromises, assurances, consultations, lobbying, counter-arguments and to some extend selfishness and greed by and between the major protagonists.
Authentic sources revealed that as far back as May 2011, the Defence Staff Committee of the Military High Command met and considered the proposals for appointments and promotions which had been handed down the throat of the Military High Command by the powers brokers in the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) in and around Castle, Blue-gate and Party Executives at various levels.
The proposals, this BLOG gathered went forth and backwards several times with the Armed Forces Council engulfed in a tango extremely high in proportions yet to be witnessed in the GAF.
Indeed, the scheming, ethnic and political dominance in the meetings have been unprecedented and amply attest to the fact the GAF have been unnecessarily and excessively politised and tribalised under the Mills/Mahama Administration.
So when the Armed Forces Council finally met and recommended the over-bloated ‘Kokofu Promotions’ published by the office of the Military Secretary at the General Headquarters on Friday 22nd July 2011, the major protagonists triumphed over the fading representation over a certain group in the GAF.
Sources disclosed that right from mid-night Friday/Saturday 22/23 July 2011, the members and especially beneficiaries of the promotions started their jubilations, kudos and ecstasy as a demonstration of their well-being, guaranteed interest, perpetuation of their hegemony in the GAF and the roles they would be assigned or claim for themselves before, during and after the 2012 Presidential and Parliamentary elections.
Every posting/appointment and promotion had been planned and executed to fit into the NDC 2012 ‘diabolical’ agenda.
This BLOG promise to publish the major highlights of the postings/appointments and promotions with an in depth analysis of each and everyone of them for the whole nation to see ‘the canker that General JH Smith is superintending over’ as written by Mr. Emmanuel H Kornyoh and the destruction that is taking place in the GAF in terms of national cohesion as demanded by the Directive Principles of State Policy in the 1992 4th Republican Constitution.
Annex A TO GHQ/18023/MS dated 22 July 2011 gave the major promotions and postings/appointments as follows:
A. Brigadier Generals and Equivalent
Brigadier General BF Kusi- Sector Commander, Ivory Coast, Brigadier General JBE Guyiri- Chief Fire Officer, Brigadier General Saagbul- Director General (PA), Brigadier General DJ Sakyi- Commander Army Combat Training School (MATS), Brigadier General K Oppong- Otchere- Inspector General (GHQ IGD), Brigadier General S Yanyi-Akofur- Director General (IPSO), Brigadier General AL Wuni-Principal General Staff Officer to Minister of Defence, Brigadier General E Tetteh- Akunor- Chief Staff Officer, Army Headquarters, Brigadier General J Kwankye- Director General (DCIS), Brigadier General HWA Tagoe- Director General (DID), Commodore SK Darbo- Director General (Training), Commodore BF Asante- Attached to the Office of Chief Staff Officer (Naval Headquarters), Commodore MK Addison – Office of DA London, Commodore K Osei-Sarfo- DA Abidjan, Air Commodore EE Ahadome- Air Officer Logistics (AOL), AFB Accra and Air Commodore FB Ayamgha- Attached to Office of Chief Staff Officer (Airforce Headquarters)
B. Colonels and Equivalents
Colonel PK Leba-Kamanya- Airport Security Coordinator and Masters Programme Student at University of Ghana, Colonel WKC Bleboo- Director Discipline (GHQ PA), Colonel CK Gyasensir- ECOWAS Secretariat, Colonel MM Aryee- Director Land Operations, Colonel M Oppong –Peprah- Director Strategic Analysis (DSA)- GHQ(DI), Colonel JP Osei- Wusu- Director Procurement, Colonel IN Aryeetey- Chief Instructor (GAFCSC Jnr. Division), Colonel CK AA Awitty- Director Plans (GHQ PxD), Colonel PN Andoh-Assistant Chief of Staff (Operations and Training), Colonel EW Kotia- Chief Instructor (KAIPTC), Colonel AK Adu- Director Conflict Resolution (DCR) GHQ (IPSO), Colonel A Issahaku- Director Accomodation (GHQ Log), Colonel FK Vowotor- Director Ops and Training (GHQ DCIS), Colonel GS Yakubu-Deputy Commander MATS (ACTS), Colonel ST Osabutey-Director Lands (GHQ Log), Captain (GN) E Adu- Co, Ghana Navy Ship, Achimota, Group Captain AK Mensah –Director Research and Development (GHQ PxD), Group Captain RMK Datsa – ACOS (Defence Staff Committee) and Group Captain JEK Ankrah- GAFCSC, CI Air Faculty
C. Lieutenant Colonels and Equivalents
Lieutenant Colonel SK Agordekpe- GSOI (PM), Lt. Col J Sarfo-DDLS (GHQ Legal), Lt. Col R Mensah- PMO Military Hospital, Lt. Col F Govina- Public Health Specialist, Military Hospital, Lt. Col F Anemana-CO MATS HQ, Lt. Col S Salifu- GSOI Sp Svcs Bde HQ, Lt. Col LK Atror- Deputy Director Land Ops, Lt. Col AB Akanbong- Deputy Director Army Operations, Army HQ, Lt. Col LK Ahlie-Deputy Director Training and Doctrine (GHQ Training), Commander A Kamal-Deen- Director Legal, Naval HQ., Commander W Nyasembi- Deputy Director Technical Division, Naval HQ, Group Captain AA Appiah- Air Secretary Airforce HQ, Group Captain TN Okai- DS, Snr Div, Group Captain FK Kudoh-AFB Tamale, OC Admin Wing.
D. Other Major/Key Postings and Appointments
Brigadier General JD Prah-GAFCSC Assistant Commandant (Junior Division), Brigadier General R Opoku-Adusei- General Officer Commanding, Northern Command, Colonel MI Tetteh- Director of Studies, Colonel EMK Yeboah-Deputy Director General (PA), Colonel CK Debrah-Deputy Commander, GMA, Colonel JF Manu- Deputy Director General Logistics, Lt. Col J Hagan –Commanding Officer 6Bn, Lt. Col JFK Glawu- Chief Operations Officer (Coo) HQ, Southern Command, Lt. Col JB Kpierele- Chief Logistics Officer, HQ Southern Command, Lt. Col RB Zubariel- CO Jungle Warfare School, Capt (GN) SVA Coomson- Deputy Director General (Plans and Development), Capt (GN) OJ Kontoh- Director Naval Training, Cdr IA Yakubu- Acting CI, Naval Faculty and Wing Commander FK Kudoh- Officer Commanding Administrative Wing, Airforce Base Tamale.
These are the bare facts in the form of raw data and this BLOG shall serialize its analysis of the postings, appointments and promotions to throw more light on the ‘Kokofu’ nature and character that they bear.
This BLOG can say on authority that the main factors that influenced the posting /appointments are ‘ethnic and political considerations’. Most of the senior offices who had the promotion were rewarded for their loyalty to P/NDC and their ‘ethnic background’ while others had to be factored into it in order to give them some face-saving character.
This BLOG shall provide the names of those who benefited from their political connections and loyalty to P/NDC and give the roles they played in the P/NDC and the 2008 general elections.
This BLOG shall also show why some officers have been and are being denied promotion.
For instance, why have the Mills/ Mahama Administration refused to promote Lieutenant Colonels A Adjaye-Gaisie, P Opoku-Frimpong and RA Salifu? Why do the authorities want to retire them and yet have promoted their junior on two occasions? What at all has Major EW Tandoh (GH/2656) done such that his mates and juniors have been promoted over and above him on two occasions?
Yet, Major Tandoh to date is the only qualified Hospital Administrator with Masters Degree and who has completed all military courses in addition to his academic qualifications at the 37 Military Hospital or it is true that some ‘faces’ hate him so much to hide in terms of financial and other malpractices (Contracts)?
Why have the authorities investigated and re-investigated the non existing service offences against Lt. Col A Adjaye-Gaisie and attached him to Southern Command Headquarters on ‘disciplinary grounds’ just to justify the indefensible refusal to promote him.
The worst thing that has happened to the Gaisie family is that his brother who is qualified in all respects to be Chief Fire Officer as a professional fire-fighter has been denied the appointment for the post to be given to a ‘Buga Buga’ military officer.
NB: Grandfather cum my fellow Fanti, is the system fair or is it because those cooking the books for this administration claims so hence you are advising Uncle Atta to do same.
I hope this time you won’t be annoyed and get the ‘dogs’ to come after me, we are building a better Ghana.
Cheers!
The postings/appointments and promotions had been heralded by tension, trade-offs, compromises, assurances, consultations, lobbying, counter-arguments and to some extend selfishness and greed by and between the major protagonists.
Authentic sources revealed that as far back as May 2011, the Defence Staff Committee of the Military High Command met and considered the proposals for appointments and promotions which had been handed down the throat of the Military High Command by the powers brokers in the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) in and around Castle, Blue-gate and Party Executives at various levels.
The proposals, this BLOG gathered went forth and backwards several times with the Armed Forces Council engulfed in a tango extremely high in proportions yet to be witnessed in the GAF.
Indeed, the scheming, ethnic and political dominance in the meetings have been unprecedented and amply attest to the fact the GAF have been unnecessarily and excessively politised and tribalised under the Mills/Mahama Administration.
So when the Armed Forces Council finally met and recommended the over-bloated ‘Kokofu Promotions’ published by the office of the Military Secretary at the General Headquarters on Friday 22nd July 2011, the major protagonists triumphed over the fading representation over a certain group in the GAF.
Sources disclosed that right from mid-night Friday/Saturday 22/23 July 2011, the members and especially beneficiaries of the promotions started their jubilations, kudos and ecstasy as a demonstration of their well-being, guaranteed interest, perpetuation of their hegemony in the GAF and the roles they would be assigned or claim for themselves before, during and after the 2012 Presidential and Parliamentary elections.
Every posting/appointment and promotion had been planned and executed to fit into the NDC 2012 ‘diabolical’ agenda.
This BLOG promise to publish the major highlights of the postings/appointments and promotions with an in depth analysis of each and everyone of them for the whole nation to see ‘the canker that General JH Smith is superintending over’ as written by Mr. Emmanuel H Kornyoh and the destruction that is taking place in the GAF in terms of national cohesion as demanded by the Directive Principles of State Policy in the 1992 4th Republican Constitution.
Annex A TO GHQ/18023/MS dated 22 July 2011 gave the major promotions and postings/appointments as follows:
A. Brigadier Generals and Equivalent
Brigadier General BF Kusi- Sector Commander, Ivory Coast, Brigadier General JBE Guyiri- Chief Fire Officer, Brigadier General Saagbul- Director General (PA), Brigadier General DJ Sakyi- Commander Army Combat Training School (MATS), Brigadier General K Oppong- Otchere- Inspector General (GHQ IGD), Brigadier General S Yanyi-Akofur- Director General (IPSO), Brigadier General AL Wuni-Principal General Staff Officer to Minister of Defence, Brigadier General E Tetteh- Akunor- Chief Staff Officer, Army Headquarters, Brigadier General J Kwankye- Director General (DCIS), Brigadier General HWA Tagoe- Director General (DID), Commodore SK Darbo- Director General (Training), Commodore BF Asante- Attached to the Office of Chief Staff Officer (Naval Headquarters), Commodore MK Addison – Office of DA London, Commodore K Osei-Sarfo- DA Abidjan, Air Commodore EE Ahadome- Air Officer Logistics (AOL), AFB Accra and Air Commodore FB Ayamgha- Attached to Office of Chief Staff Officer (Airforce Headquarters)
B. Colonels and Equivalents
Colonel PK Leba-Kamanya- Airport Security Coordinator and Masters Programme Student at University of Ghana, Colonel WKC Bleboo- Director Discipline (GHQ PA), Colonel CK Gyasensir- ECOWAS Secretariat, Colonel MM Aryee- Director Land Operations, Colonel M Oppong –Peprah- Director Strategic Analysis (DSA)- GHQ(DI), Colonel JP Osei- Wusu- Director Procurement, Colonel IN Aryeetey- Chief Instructor (GAFCSC Jnr. Division), Colonel CK AA Awitty- Director Plans (GHQ PxD), Colonel PN Andoh-Assistant Chief of Staff (Operations and Training), Colonel EW Kotia- Chief Instructor (KAIPTC), Colonel AK Adu- Director Conflict Resolution (DCR) GHQ (IPSO), Colonel A Issahaku- Director Accomodation (GHQ Log), Colonel FK Vowotor- Director Ops and Training (GHQ DCIS), Colonel GS Yakubu-Deputy Commander MATS (ACTS), Colonel ST Osabutey-Director Lands (GHQ Log), Captain (GN) E Adu- Co, Ghana Navy Ship, Achimota, Group Captain AK Mensah –Director Research and Development (GHQ PxD), Group Captain RMK Datsa – ACOS (Defence Staff Committee) and Group Captain JEK Ankrah- GAFCSC, CI Air Faculty
C. Lieutenant Colonels and Equivalents
Lieutenant Colonel SK Agordekpe- GSOI (PM), Lt. Col J Sarfo-DDLS (GHQ Legal), Lt. Col R Mensah- PMO Military Hospital, Lt. Col F Govina- Public Health Specialist, Military Hospital, Lt. Col F Anemana-CO MATS HQ, Lt. Col S Salifu- GSOI Sp Svcs Bde HQ, Lt. Col LK Atror- Deputy Director Land Ops, Lt. Col AB Akanbong- Deputy Director Army Operations, Army HQ, Lt. Col LK Ahlie-Deputy Director Training and Doctrine (GHQ Training), Commander A Kamal-Deen- Director Legal, Naval HQ., Commander W Nyasembi- Deputy Director Technical Division, Naval HQ, Group Captain AA Appiah- Air Secretary Airforce HQ, Group Captain TN Okai- DS, Snr Div, Group Captain FK Kudoh-AFB Tamale, OC Admin Wing.
D. Other Major/Key Postings and Appointments
Brigadier General JD Prah-GAFCSC Assistant Commandant (Junior Division), Brigadier General R Opoku-Adusei- General Officer Commanding, Northern Command, Colonel MI Tetteh- Director of Studies, Colonel EMK Yeboah-Deputy Director General (PA), Colonel CK Debrah-Deputy Commander, GMA, Colonel JF Manu- Deputy Director General Logistics, Lt. Col J Hagan –Commanding Officer 6Bn, Lt. Col JFK Glawu- Chief Operations Officer (Coo) HQ, Southern Command, Lt. Col JB Kpierele- Chief Logistics Officer, HQ Southern Command, Lt. Col RB Zubariel- CO Jungle Warfare School, Capt (GN) SVA Coomson- Deputy Director General (Plans and Development), Capt (GN) OJ Kontoh- Director Naval Training, Cdr IA Yakubu- Acting CI, Naval Faculty and Wing Commander FK Kudoh- Officer Commanding Administrative Wing, Airforce Base Tamale.
These are the bare facts in the form of raw data and this BLOG shall serialize its analysis of the postings, appointments and promotions to throw more light on the ‘Kokofu’ nature and character that they bear.
This BLOG can say on authority that the main factors that influenced the posting /appointments are ‘ethnic and political considerations’. Most of the senior offices who had the promotion were rewarded for their loyalty to P/NDC and their ‘ethnic background’ while others had to be factored into it in order to give them some face-saving character.
This BLOG shall provide the names of those who benefited from their political connections and loyalty to P/NDC and give the roles they played in the P/NDC and the 2008 general elections.
This BLOG shall also show why some officers have been and are being denied promotion.
For instance, why have the Mills/ Mahama Administration refused to promote Lieutenant Colonels A Adjaye-Gaisie, P Opoku-Frimpong and RA Salifu? Why do the authorities want to retire them and yet have promoted their junior on two occasions? What at all has Major EW Tandoh (GH/2656) done such that his mates and juniors have been promoted over and above him on two occasions?
Yet, Major Tandoh to date is the only qualified Hospital Administrator with Masters Degree and who has completed all military courses in addition to his academic qualifications at the 37 Military Hospital or it is true that some ‘faces’ hate him so much to hide in terms of financial and other malpractices (Contracts)?
Why have the authorities investigated and re-investigated the non existing service offences against Lt. Col A Adjaye-Gaisie and attached him to Southern Command Headquarters on ‘disciplinary grounds’ just to justify the indefensible refusal to promote him.
The worst thing that has happened to the Gaisie family is that his brother who is qualified in all respects to be Chief Fire Officer as a professional fire-fighter has been denied the appointment for the post to be given to a ‘Buga Buga’ military officer.
NB: Grandfather cum my fellow Fanti, is the system fair or is it because those cooking the books for this administration claims so hence you are advising Uncle Atta to do same.
I hope this time you won’t be annoyed and get the ‘dogs’ to come after me, we are building a better Ghana.
Cheers!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Ethnocentrism And Akan Persecution In Ghana
Yes, the weeding out of Akan military personnel is in full swing. From the exclusive recruitment exercises for the Ghana Army, conducted in the Volta region only, to other confirmatory developments.
Col. Damoah was thrown out, Lt.-Col Richard Amponsem-Boateng-a stellar soldier, a brilliant and courageous soldier in excellent health, died so suddenly owing to pernicious juju of Ewe origin(Amponsem, we saw it, and could have reversed it...RIP), Officer Serebour is under persistent harassment etc.
Brigadier Mensah Wood, an excellent Fante Soldier, died mysteriously allegedly attributed to pancreatic cancer, but in truth, of poisoning. His death was to clear the way for an Ewe man to take his place.
Yes, the fact of it is, the Ewes are fighting dirty, throwing below the belt punches, and the Akans are sitting down, and resorting to ''Fa ma nyame'', i.e give it to God.
No wonder, our country, has been taken over by these Togolese degenerates and hardened ethnocentrics.
Yes, once more 1981and the immediate years afterwards, have come around again. Just as then, Arnold Quianoo, Tsikata, Captain Hugo Benzin Huppenbauer(Beninois-Fon/Ewe) and other Ewe officers were given the special task of hounding out Akans from the Ghana Armed Forces, and many Beninios/Togolese Ewe were recruited in replacement, to create a wholly ethnically biased in favour of the Ewe, Armed Forces, so have those days, once again, come to pass under this administration.
Yes, their rank and file, from officers to the filthy lowlifes, were recruited into the Armed Forces of Ghana, with the express purpose of harassing and throwing out Akan officers and Army personnnel.
In pursuance of this, they brought in riff-raffs from and other educated kith and kin from Togo and Benin.
Look up the name, Benzin. Do an internet search on it, and you'll know from whence, that name originates.Infact, anyone with just an appreciation of a little West African history, will know Benzin is a name so rife in Benin. How many Ghanaian Ewes, do you know, that go by that name? You'll come to know, its a Dahomey name. Did I hear you say, oohhh, a Ghanaian could have that name? Yes, they could...but it is most unusual for a Ghanaian, even an Ewe Ghanaian, to have such a typical Beninios name.
That man, I suspect strongly, was one of the many Beninois Fon men, who were recruited into the Ghana Armed Forces, and one of the many imported ones from Togo and Benin, brought in, to beef up the numbers of Ewes in the country.Benzin, Behanzin etc are all Dahomey Fon names. Where is Dahomey presently? In the country of Benin, it is.
Yes, such is how, Rawlings, Tsikata, Kofi Nyidevu Awoonor Williams(now and so shamefully, Head of the Council of State, deep rooted Ewe tribalist and supremacist, the brain behind most of the anti-Akan pogroms you all witnessed under Rawlings), pursued their ethnocentric agenda. Recruiting and settling Ewe and Fon people in bulk into the Armed Forces of Ghana and in Ghana in a well executed agenda of beefing up their mediocre numbers by hook or crook in Ghana. In addition, and in pursuance of their avowed policy of diminishing the numerical advantage of Akans in Ghana, they had uppermost on their agenda, a plan to merge Ghana, Togo and Burkina Faso, into one supercountry. When Burkina Faso, refused, to tow along, after the Thomas Sankara overthrow, they sought to bring Benin into the plan. This plan, hasn't been buried, it is very much on the cards. What is happening now, is only the beginnning.
Such is what we got under Rawlings. Now, under Atta Mills, is it happening once more.
Akans, in the armed forces, are being hounded, falsely charged, maligned, harassed at the least opportunity. From officer rank to recruit, no one is spared. Once again, the armed forces of Ghana, is being rendered an Ewe exclusive bastion. Why, is Ghana an Ewe country?
Once again, despite denials, the truth of the NDC, being a vehicle for the Ewe dominance of Ghana, has been confirmed. I mean, it is as if, the NDC won all of its votes in the Ewe areas only. Did the NDC not win substantial votes in the Akan areas? Did Asante Region not give NDC, its 2nd highest votes in the country? Were all those, who wasted their 450,000 + votes on this useless, Ewe-centric party, in Asante Region, all non-Asantes?
Akans, wake up. You've been in a slumber for too long. It is only because of lack of a self-love, inter/intra ethnic love within the Akan family, that is permitting these Ewes, mostly of Togolese origin, and an inconsequential minority in Ghana, to ride heads and shoulders over us.
You gave the NDC, substantial votes, yet, see how, you've been discarded and are being shunted out of the good of the land. Open your eyes, open your ears, and see how the Ewes are taking up all the posts in the land. From Ministerships, Board Memberships, Diplomatic postings, scholarships, military posts, police, immigration, CEPS, IRS, etc.
For the 20+ years, of Rawlings's rule, many there are of Akan stock and others, who bemoaned the overbearing influence, favouritism, grossly disproportionate access and utilization of state resources and the then all-pervasive Ewe domination of Ghana. For 20+ years, we bore the yoke, we exercised restraint whilst suffering the insult, the ignominy, the pain and indignity of being rendered mere inconsequentials in our own land, despite we, being a majority in Ghana, and despite us, sustaining Ghana with our resources. We looked on and saw how our resources were utilized for the upliftment of the Ewe and Ewe only. How scholarships, aid etc meant for all Ghanaians, were so grossly diverted into the hands of Ewes exclusively. We endured the insults and disparaging remarks, such as:''oh, those Akans are not interested in education''.
Now, once again, under this ''push-around'' President Mills(whose own people the Fante, are so grossly disappointed in him), we've been ushered into another era of an Ewe dominance of Ghana.
Why, Akans, Dagombas, and many other non-Ewe Ghanaians? Should the good of Ghana, go to the Ewe only? Are we, the Akans so meek, so docile, so weak, so unassuming, that we willingly submit to servitude? Is that what our history informs us of? No.
We were a people fiercely protective of our independence, even when need be, we took on the Europeans(a people in terms of technological development, way way ahead of us.....yet, we took them on and defeated them several times, nonetheless). From Nzema, Ahanta, Aowin, Fante, Ga, and inwards, our histories are replete with many a time, when we arose to confront an oppression.
So then, what happened to this fighting spirit as was so witnessed in our forebears? Have we and are we allowing modernity, a love for money( a discernable weakness, of which ploy, they've capitalized upon to render most of our traditional leaders and men of influence, stupid submissive zombies--clowns given to wanton public displays of silly exuberance in honor of a murderer of Akans) and a lazy passing the buck philosophy, as exemplified in the ''Fa ma Nyame, Eny3 hwee, Onyame mere ne mere pa'' and other defeatist sayings, to render us all, easy push-overs and imbecilic inconsequential -even in our own land of birth?
For how long, Akans, should we allow, our subscription to our misinterpretations of Christianity(misinterpretations of its pacifist virtues. Are we the only Christians in this world? Where has it been written in the Bible that be stupid and allow yourself to be downtrodden or rendered such cheap fodder?Aren't Americans, Brits, and many others, also Christians, even to a greater depth of it, than us?
Yet, do they allow others to lord it over them in their own jurisdictions and even without?) to render us, such a cheap helpless bunch, easily harassed, easily murdered, easily raped, easily chucked out of public service jobs, easily chucked out of public institutions, perpetually subject to the dictates of a minority group of no essential contribution to Ghana, easily dispossessed of our lands(Afram Plains, etc), easily cowed into submission, (look on for our lands to be desecrated and stripped bare of its precious contents--surface mining, our river bodies polluted and our people fall prey to strange diseases as a result of, our farms confiscated) all because since Ghana came into being the burden of its sustenance has fallen so grossly disproportionately on the Akans and the Akan land areas.
Yet, worsening matters further--rubbing salt in our injuries, we the Akans are not allowed to enjoy the fruits of the sacrifices we have had to endure.
For how long, will we allow this rapacious bunch, essentially and yes, emphatically so; of Togolese mostly and Beninois origination and nationality, to control us/dominate us, sideline us, render us all inconsequentials , in our own land of birth and our own country of which we, in the main sustain?
Even in Ghana, do the Ewe, in the little part of their lands that come under Ghana's jurisdiction, allow non-Ewes to Lord it over them? Hell no. They won't even, to this day, allow any non-Ewe, to head any state institution in their region. Be it, any educational, health or any other Governmental Institution. Should a non-Ewe indigene be appointed to any such institution, even a private one in their homelands, they'll protest vehemently and make sure one is kicked out. That is how its been in their homelands ever since Kwame Nkrumah(and even, the Osagyefuo(the so-called unifier, eschewer of ethnocentrism), threw them out of his govt from 1961 onwards), committed the gross error of bringing them into Ghana. That is the sort of policy, these arch, yet, very deceptive deeprooted ethnocentric insulars, have held unto, since their inclusion to this day.
Yet, audaciously and so hypocritically, they've the temerity to accuse others of being tribalistic, whenever their glaring ''only us'' behaviour is exposed, and do, so affrontly, expect to be allowed free reign in other parts of Ghana.
How then, do we allow these outrageously ethnocentric people, and even worse, of a dubious Ghanaian nationality, to come over and Lord it over us in our own areas of Ghana?
Akans, why, since when did we become such zombies. If under Rawlings, in the face of the barrel of the gun we bore his oppressive Ewe domination agenda with fortitude in the interests of peace, and hence allowed ourselves to be taken for fools, do we have to make the same mistake again?
Since when did democracy mean, a majority group, should be rendered subject to a minority group of foreign derivation, in the land of the majority group? Do the English, the French, the Germans and many other democracies, worldwide, allow such nonsense? Yet, don't they all, have minority groups in their countries?
Will the Caucausian majorities in the Uk, France, Australia, Canada, USA, and elsewhere, in the name of democracy, sit down and allow their minority populations to render them so powerless and stupidly submissive in their lands? Won't they find a way, no matter how flagrantly unlawful, no matter how outrageous, no matter how unfair, no matter the prostestations, no matter how immoral, no matter how non-conformist to the status quo, of ensuring that, and yes, rightly and naturally so, others--the minorities, know of whom is in charge in their own land? Yet, aren't they, the espousers of most of the democratic principles they expect the rest of the world to follow?
Ahhhh, Akans, wake up. Put on your thinking caps.
Why, should we allow the fact of a mere inconsequential non-contributory--yet, expect to consume in excess of--so disproportionately and live off the fruits and toil of others--courtesy of a ready access to Ghana govt treasury ((of Togolese stock essentially)) rapacious, arch ethnocentric peoples(whose only concern is the wholescale promotion of their ethnic parochial interests, damn the consequences and come what may) to be pulling the strings in our own land of birth.
Does the fact of it happening now, not confirm the fact of the NDC, being a political party, set-up with the express purpose of ensuring the Ewe dominance and control of Ghana in perpetuity? Does it not give credence to the fact, often denied and so deceptively hidden--thanks to the Akans they make use of as mere window dressers(Mills, etc), that the NDC, is the catalyst and means by which a better ''Ewe only'' agenda is being pursued with a veageance in Ghana, to the detriment of all other non-Ewes?
Akans, for how long will we sit down, bicker endlessly, uselessly and stupidly amongst ourselves, allow the sight and issuance of pots of money to render our minds mushy and easily malleable(Akan chiefs, watchout, the day of reckoning will come) undermine one another, sell one another out(a fashion amongst Asantes nowadays--fools, t)n wo nua, kogye nim) dredge up some silly histories of inter-brotherly strife, of which in truth, we all are guilty of--when the causative factors are taken into account and honestly analyzed and proceed to use such to cut one another down; only for this Togolese group, of which we've no blood affinity, cultural, religious, ethnic etc, with guile and duress come to dominate us, lord it over us, push us aside into the gutters, render us cheap pushovers only fit for the consumption of leftovers in our own country and land all because, these of Togolese and Beninios stock mostly, have managed remarkably, to coalesce into a single entity--albeit temporarily, all because of a wholescale ethnic promotion and domination agenda.
These,--in ignorance, many of us, non-Ewes don't know--are the most divided people one can ever encounter anywhere on the face of the earth:
''THESE EWES, ARE A PEOPLE WHO IN THEIR HOMELANDS ARE SO DISUNITED. I HAVE LIVED THERE, I KNOW. THEY BICKER, QUARREL AND CURSE ONE ANOTHER, DAY IN AND DAY OUT.LET IT BE A LITTLE MISUNDERSTANDING, EVEN OVER TRIVIA, AND IMMEDIATELY, THEY'LL THREATEN ONE ANOTHER WITH THE INVOCATION OF A SO SO AND SO gOD, WITH THE ATTENDANT CURSE UTTERANCE. THE ANLO LOOK DOWN UPON THE NORTHERN EWE, THEY REGARD THEM AS THEIR SLAVES(HISTORICAL JUSTIFICATIONS), THE NORTHERN EWE HATE THE ANLO.
AND YET, WHEN OUT OF THEIR REGION, THESE PEOPLE, ARE ABLE TO, AND SO COMMENDABLY, DISPLAY A REMARKABLE SENSE OF UNITY. THEY SHED IMMEDIATELY MOST OF THEIR MISUNDERSTANDINGS.''.
Yet, they've been able to, despite being so attuned to disunity and disregard even for their own native authority, have been able to shed such unsavoury behaviours and unite, even creating trans-national groups(CEANA, spanning Ghana, Togo and Benin: an organisation with the express purpose of advancing their ''only us'' agenda) all in pursuance of a grand tribalistic self upliftment and domination in perpetuity of Ghana.
Akans, why can't we, who are all of one blood essentially, go anywhere in Akandom, and you'll find Oyoko, Bretuo, Aduana, Dehyena, Abiradzi, Ekuona, Asona, Twidan, and their equivalents, only the name change in Nzema and Aowin, all over Ghana, in all Akanman. Go over the border, in La Cote d'Ivoire, and it is same there.
So then, we who are all of a greater affinity, of same stock and race, why can't we shed our petty divisiveness and assert ourselves in our own land and country?
Please, let the men and women amongst us arise. Don't let our corrupt, Judas Iscariot Traditional Rulers hold you back. Their day of reckoning will come. On that day, we shall see, if they are our Rulers because of themselves or because, we allow them to be there. We shall see, whose interests, they'll have to be there for. Don't let this so-called Democracy, to render us slaves and inconsequentials in our own land.
Please arise, before it is too late. Ghana, our country, is in grave danger of slipping out of our hands. We are in grave danger of being rendered slaves, in our land of birth, by a rapacious foreign bunch.
Source:Nathan Harvey.
Guest
Col. Damoah was thrown out, Lt.-Col Richard Amponsem-Boateng-a stellar soldier, a brilliant and courageous soldier in excellent health, died so suddenly owing to pernicious juju of Ewe origin(Amponsem, we saw it, and could have reversed it...RIP), Officer Serebour is under persistent harassment etc.
Brigadier Mensah Wood, an excellent Fante Soldier, died mysteriously allegedly attributed to pancreatic cancer, but in truth, of poisoning. His death was to clear the way for an Ewe man to take his place.
Yes, the fact of it is, the Ewes are fighting dirty, throwing below the belt punches, and the Akans are sitting down, and resorting to ''Fa ma nyame'', i.e give it to God.
No wonder, our country, has been taken over by these Togolese degenerates and hardened ethnocentrics.
Yes, once more 1981and the immediate years afterwards, have come around again. Just as then, Arnold Quianoo, Tsikata, Captain Hugo Benzin Huppenbauer(Beninois-Fon/Ewe) and other Ewe officers were given the special task of hounding out Akans from the Ghana Armed Forces, and many Beninios/Togolese Ewe were recruited in replacement, to create a wholly ethnically biased in favour of the Ewe, Armed Forces, so have those days, once again, come to pass under this administration.
Yes, their rank and file, from officers to the filthy lowlifes, were recruited into the Armed Forces of Ghana, with the express purpose of harassing and throwing out Akan officers and Army personnnel.
In pursuance of this, they brought in riff-raffs from and other educated kith and kin from Togo and Benin.
Look up the name, Benzin. Do an internet search on it, and you'll know from whence, that name originates.Infact, anyone with just an appreciation of a little West African history, will know Benzin is a name so rife in Benin. How many Ghanaian Ewes, do you know, that go by that name? You'll come to know, its a Dahomey name. Did I hear you say, oohhh, a Ghanaian could have that name? Yes, they could...but it is most unusual for a Ghanaian, even an Ewe Ghanaian, to have such a typical Beninios name.
That man, I suspect strongly, was one of the many Beninois Fon men, who were recruited into the Ghana Armed Forces, and one of the many imported ones from Togo and Benin, brought in, to beef up the numbers of Ewes in the country.Benzin, Behanzin etc are all Dahomey Fon names. Where is Dahomey presently? In the country of Benin, it is.
Yes, such is how, Rawlings, Tsikata, Kofi Nyidevu Awoonor Williams(now and so shamefully, Head of the Council of State, deep rooted Ewe tribalist and supremacist, the brain behind most of the anti-Akan pogroms you all witnessed under Rawlings), pursued their ethnocentric agenda. Recruiting and settling Ewe and Fon people in bulk into the Armed Forces of Ghana and in Ghana in a well executed agenda of beefing up their mediocre numbers by hook or crook in Ghana. In addition, and in pursuance of their avowed policy of diminishing the numerical advantage of Akans in Ghana, they had uppermost on their agenda, a plan to merge Ghana, Togo and Burkina Faso, into one supercountry. When Burkina Faso, refused, to tow along, after the Thomas Sankara overthrow, they sought to bring Benin into the plan. This plan, hasn't been buried, it is very much on the cards. What is happening now, is only the beginnning.
Such is what we got under Rawlings. Now, under Atta Mills, is it happening once more.
Akans, in the armed forces, are being hounded, falsely charged, maligned, harassed at the least opportunity. From officer rank to recruit, no one is spared. Once again, the armed forces of Ghana, is being rendered an Ewe exclusive bastion. Why, is Ghana an Ewe country?
Once again, despite denials, the truth of the NDC, being a vehicle for the Ewe dominance of Ghana, has been confirmed. I mean, it is as if, the NDC won all of its votes in the Ewe areas only. Did the NDC not win substantial votes in the Akan areas? Did Asante Region not give NDC, its 2nd highest votes in the country? Were all those, who wasted their 450,000 + votes on this useless, Ewe-centric party, in Asante Region, all non-Asantes?
Akans, wake up. You've been in a slumber for too long. It is only because of lack of a self-love, inter/intra ethnic love within the Akan family, that is permitting these Ewes, mostly of Togolese origin, and an inconsequential minority in Ghana, to ride heads and shoulders over us.
You gave the NDC, substantial votes, yet, see how, you've been discarded and are being shunted out of the good of the land. Open your eyes, open your ears, and see how the Ewes are taking up all the posts in the land. From Ministerships, Board Memberships, Diplomatic postings, scholarships, military posts, police, immigration, CEPS, IRS, etc.
For the 20+ years, of Rawlings's rule, many there are of Akan stock and others, who bemoaned the overbearing influence, favouritism, grossly disproportionate access and utilization of state resources and the then all-pervasive Ewe domination of Ghana. For 20+ years, we bore the yoke, we exercised restraint whilst suffering the insult, the ignominy, the pain and indignity of being rendered mere inconsequentials in our own land, despite we, being a majority in Ghana, and despite us, sustaining Ghana with our resources. We looked on and saw how our resources were utilized for the upliftment of the Ewe and Ewe only. How scholarships, aid etc meant for all Ghanaians, were so grossly diverted into the hands of Ewes exclusively. We endured the insults and disparaging remarks, such as:''oh, those Akans are not interested in education''.
Now, once again, under this ''push-around'' President Mills(whose own people the Fante, are so grossly disappointed in him), we've been ushered into another era of an Ewe dominance of Ghana.
Why, Akans, Dagombas, and many other non-Ewe Ghanaians? Should the good of Ghana, go to the Ewe only? Are we, the Akans so meek, so docile, so weak, so unassuming, that we willingly submit to servitude? Is that what our history informs us of? No.
We were a people fiercely protective of our independence, even when need be, we took on the Europeans(a people in terms of technological development, way way ahead of us.....yet, we took them on and defeated them several times, nonetheless). From Nzema, Ahanta, Aowin, Fante, Ga, and inwards, our histories are replete with many a time, when we arose to confront an oppression.
So then, what happened to this fighting spirit as was so witnessed in our forebears? Have we and are we allowing modernity, a love for money( a discernable weakness, of which ploy, they've capitalized upon to render most of our traditional leaders and men of influence, stupid submissive zombies--clowns given to wanton public displays of silly exuberance in honor of a murderer of Akans) and a lazy passing the buck philosophy, as exemplified in the ''Fa ma Nyame, Eny3 hwee, Onyame mere ne mere pa'' and other defeatist sayings, to render us all, easy push-overs and imbecilic inconsequential -even in our own land of birth?
For how long, Akans, should we allow, our subscription to our misinterpretations of Christianity(misinterpretations of its pacifist virtues. Are we the only Christians in this world? Where has it been written in the Bible that be stupid and allow yourself to be downtrodden or rendered such cheap fodder?Aren't Americans, Brits, and many others, also Christians, even to a greater depth of it, than us?
Yet, do they allow others to lord it over them in their own jurisdictions and even without?) to render us, such a cheap helpless bunch, easily harassed, easily murdered, easily raped, easily chucked out of public service jobs, easily chucked out of public institutions, perpetually subject to the dictates of a minority group of no essential contribution to Ghana, easily dispossessed of our lands(Afram Plains, etc), easily cowed into submission, (look on for our lands to be desecrated and stripped bare of its precious contents--surface mining, our river bodies polluted and our people fall prey to strange diseases as a result of, our farms confiscated) all because since Ghana came into being the burden of its sustenance has fallen so grossly disproportionately on the Akans and the Akan land areas.
Yet, worsening matters further--rubbing salt in our injuries, we the Akans are not allowed to enjoy the fruits of the sacrifices we have had to endure.
For how long, will we allow this rapacious bunch, essentially and yes, emphatically so; of Togolese mostly and Beninois origination and nationality, to control us/dominate us, sideline us, render us all inconsequentials , in our own land of birth and our own country of which we, in the main sustain?
Even in Ghana, do the Ewe, in the little part of their lands that come under Ghana's jurisdiction, allow non-Ewes to Lord it over them? Hell no. They won't even, to this day, allow any non-Ewe, to head any state institution in their region. Be it, any educational, health or any other Governmental Institution. Should a non-Ewe indigene be appointed to any such institution, even a private one in their homelands, they'll protest vehemently and make sure one is kicked out. That is how its been in their homelands ever since Kwame Nkrumah(and even, the Osagyefuo(the so-called unifier, eschewer of ethnocentrism), threw them out of his govt from 1961 onwards), committed the gross error of bringing them into Ghana. That is the sort of policy, these arch, yet, very deceptive deeprooted ethnocentric insulars, have held unto, since their inclusion to this day.
Yet, audaciously and so hypocritically, they've the temerity to accuse others of being tribalistic, whenever their glaring ''only us'' behaviour is exposed, and do, so affrontly, expect to be allowed free reign in other parts of Ghana.
How then, do we allow these outrageously ethnocentric people, and even worse, of a dubious Ghanaian nationality, to come over and Lord it over us in our own areas of Ghana?
Akans, why, since when did we become such zombies. If under Rawlings, in the face of the barrel of the gun we bore his oppressive Ewe domination agenda with fortitude in the interests of peace, and hence allowed ourselves to be taken for fools, do we have to make the same mistake again?
Since when did democracy mean, a majority group, should be rendered subject to a minority group of foreign derivation, in the land of the majority group? Do the English, the French, the Germans and many other democracies, worldwide, allow such nonsense? Yet, don't they all, have minority groups in their countries?
Will the Caucausian majorities in the Uk, France, Australia, Canada, USA, and elsewhere, in the name of democracy, sit down and allow their minority populations to render them so powerless and stupidly submissive in their lands? Won't they find a way, no matter how flagrantly unlawful, no matter how outrageous, no matter how unfair, no matter the prostestations, no matter how immoral, no matter how non-conformist to the status quo, of ensuring that, and yes, rightly and naturally so, others--the minorities, know of whom is in charge in their own land? Yet, aren't they, the espousers of most of the democratic principles they expect the rest of the world to follow?
Ahhhh, Akans, wake up. Put on your thinking caps.
Why, should we allow the fact of a mere inconsequential non-contributory--yet, expect to consume in excess of--so disproportionately and live off the fruits and toil of others--courtesy of a ready access to Ghana govt treasury ((of Togolese stock essentially)) rapacious, arch ethnocentric peoples(whose only concern is the wholescale promotion of their ethnic parochial interests, damn the consequences and come what may) to be pulling the strings in our own land of birth.
Does the fact of it happening now, not confirm the fact of the NDC, being a political party, set-up with the express purpose of ensuring the Ewe dominance and control of Ghana in perpetuity? Does it not give credence to the fact, often denied and so deceptively hidden--thanks to the Akans they make use of as mere window dressers(Mills, etc), that the NDC, is the catalyst and means by which a better ''Ewe only'' agenda is being pursued with a veageance in Ghana, to the detriment of all other non-Ewes?
Akans, for how long will we sit down, bicker endlessly, uselessly and stupidly amongst ourselves, allow the sight and issuance of pots of money to render our minds mushy and easily malleable(Akan chiefs, watchout, the day of reckoning will come) undermine one another, sell one another out(a fashion amongst Asantes nowadays--fools, t)n wo nua, kogye nim) dredge up some silly histories of inter-brotherly strife, of which in truth, we all are guilty of--when the causative factors are taken into account and honestly analyzed and proceed to use such to cut one another down; only for this Togolese group, of which we've no blood affinity, cultural, religious, ethnic etc, with guile and duress come to dominate us, lord it over us, push us aside into the gutters, render us cheap pushovers only fit for the consumption of leftovers in our own country and land all because, these of Togolese and Beninios stock mostly, have managed remarkably, to coalesce into a single entity--albeit temporarily, all because of a wholescale ethnic promotion and domination agenda.
These,--in ignorance, many of us, non-Ewes don't know--are the most divided people one can ever encounter anywhere on the face of the earth:
''THESE EWES, ARE A PEOPLE WHO IN THEIR HOMELANDS ARE SO DISUNITED. I HAVE LIVED THERE, I KNOW. THEY BICKER, QUARREL AND CURSE ONE ANOTHER, DAY IN AND DAY OUT.LET IT BE A LITTLE MISUNDERSTANDING, EVEN OVER TRIVIA, AND IMMEDIATELY, THEY'LL THREATEN ONE ANOTHER WITH THE INVOCATION OF A SO SO AND SO gOD, WITH THE ATTENDANT CURSE UTTERANCE. THE ANLO LOOK DOWN UPON THE NORTHERN EWE, THEY REGARD THEM AS THEIR SLAVES(HISTORICAL JUSTIFICATIONS), THE NORTHERN EWE HATE THE ANLO.
AND YET, WHEN OUT OF THEIR REGION, THESE PEOPLE, ARE ABLE TO, AND SO COMMENDABLY, DISPLAY A REMARKABLE SENSE OF UNITY. THEY SHED IMMEDIATELY MOST OF THEIR MISUNDERSTANDINGS.''.
Yet, they've been able to, despite being so attuned to disunity and disregard even for their own native authority, have been able to shed such unsavoury behaviours and unite, even creating trans-national groups(CEANA, spanning Ghana, Togo and Benin: an organisation with the express purpose of advancing their ''only us'' agenda) all in pursuance of a grand tribalistic self upliftment and domination in perpetuity of Ghana.
Akans, why can't we, who are all of one blood essentially, go anywhere in Akandom, and you'll find Oyoko, Bretuo, Aduana, Dehyena, Abiradzi, Ekuona, Asona, Twidan, and their equivalents, only the name change in Nzema and Aowin, all over Ghana, in all Akanman. Go over the border, in La Cote d'Ivoire, and it is same there.
So then, we who are all of a greater affinity, of same stock and race, why can't we shed our petty divisiveness and assert ourselves in our own land and country?
Please, let the men and women amongst us arise. Don't let our corrupt, Judas Iscariot Traditional Rulers hold you back. Their day of reckoning will come. On that day, we shall see, if they are our Rulers because of themselves or because, we allow them to be there. We shall see, whose interests, they'll have to be there for. Don't let this so-called Democracy, to render us slaves and inconsequentials in our own land.
Please arise, before it is too late. Ghana, our country, is in grave danger of slipping out of our hands. We are in grave danger of being rendered slaves, in our land of birth, by a rapacious foreign bunch.
Source:Nathan Harvey.
Guest
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Press Statement:
OFFICIAL STATEMENT BY DAYBREAK NEWSPAPER ON AN ATTEMPT BY THE BUREAU OF NATIONAL INVESTIGATIONS (BNI) TO TRAMPLE ON THE PAPER’S RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH
Officials of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) acting on the instructions of the Government of Ghana last Wednesday arrested, hand cuffed and detained Prince Prah, Editor of DAYBREAK newspaper, after the paper carried a story that it had received reports that the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Lt. Gen. P.A Blay, would soon be relieved of his post.
The Government of Ghana, speaking through Deputy Information Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has justified the arrest and detention claiming it was necessary because DAYBREAK has been fond of publishing stories concerning the Ghana Armed Forces.
We believe we owe Ghanaians and our readers, a duty to explain why we carry stories on the GAF and state for the records that the BNI cannot gag us from free speech and our constitutionally mandated media rights as long as we do so within the laws of Ghana.
DAYBREAK believes in protecting the professionalism, sanity, sanctity and dignity of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) and that has been our prime goal in publishing stories about the military.
We also believe that the GAF, or no other group of Ghanaians, is not above the Constitution of Ghana and we shall at all times ensure this remains so.
It is for this reason that when we have cause to believe that the mode of enlisting recruits into the GAF is being done in a way that undermines the professionalism, sanity, sanctity and dignity GAF, we shall not hesitate in raising red flags and sounding an alarm.
This explains why DAYBREAK since November 2010 has serialized one publication after another concerning some sixty seven (67) persons who were illegally enlisted and smuggled into the GAF though they FAILED the recruitment processes.
An official GAF documents signed by Col (Rtd.) JKT Caesar on July 10 2010 under the reference GHQ/2034/801/RECS said the said persons had questionable documents and ages.
They were found to have also failed their entrance examinations.
When DAYBREAK broke the story, the GAF could not deny, completely ignored the publication and yet went ahead to illegally enlist the 67 illegal recruits.
DAYBREAK has also published several stories that the constitutional provision that calls for a regional balance in the recruitment and enlistment of Officers and Men is not been respected by the GAF.
Indeed, this same issue took center stage on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday November 10, 2010 where the Minority provided documents to prove to the Minister for Defense, Lieutenant General Joseph Henry Smith that indeed the GAF and government gave preferential treatment to people of a particular region in the 2009/2010 recruitment.
Certainly DAYBREAK was not publishing this story for the purpose of mischief but with all good intent and purpose in the name of the constitution of Ghana.
Again when DAYBREAK broke the story of a young Ghanaian soldier, Lance Corporal Bright Annor Apeadu of the Recce Regiment of the GAF died under mysterious circumstances while on guard at the residence of the CDS on Friday 29th October 2010 at the Juba Villas residence of the Chief of Defense , the paper was not acting in mischief.
The GAF remained silent on the matter and if not for the paper’s publication, Ghanaians would not have heard of that incident.
We believe the current government and some persons in the GAF have been uncomfortable about DAYBREAK accurate but unfavorable stories about the military and only used the story about the speculated dismissal of the CDS to get back at the paper.
For the records, DAYBREAK has not stated that it has seen a letter signed by anyone to relieve the CDS. Neither did we say the CDS has received any letter. What we said is that we have picked signals that the CDS is to be retired very soon via a release signed by the secretary to the President. We are a poor newspaper and cannot prevent government spokespersons from interpreting or misinterpreting what we published for reasons best known to them.
Interestingly, when the Office of the President wrote a rejoinder on our publication on the CDS, DAYBREAK was not and has still not being served a copy of a rejoinder to a story the paper broke.
DAYBREAK would want to state categorically that we are committed to the ethics of journalism and when we err, we would not hesitate to retract and apologize because we know journalists are not above the law.
What we are yet to confirm is who authorized the BNI to do what they did. If it was done in the interest of National Security then we suggest the National Security Adviser, Brigadier-General Nunoo Mensah (rtd) deserves a sack unless he starts to advice his security agencies to act professionally and respect basic human rights.
Indeed, this same Nunoo Mensah himself has repeatedly stated publicly that the GAF is been destroyed by ethnicity and partisan politics. He has been quoted be the Daily Graphic of March 31, 2009 in a story written by Albert K. Salia under the headline “Security Services urged to live above Partisan Politics”, and published on page 16 of the paper.
Finally we repeat that we refuse to be gagged by the BNI or whoever authorized them to do what they did on Wednesday March 16, 2011 against the DAYBREAK newspaper.
SIGNED
Prince Prah,
EDITOR- DAYBREAK.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Security Concerns (Part 2)
Coming events, the wise, intelligent and experienced persons say, cast their shadows. If this saying, pregnant with wisdom, is anything to go by and guide reasonably prudent persons for the future, taking cognizance of the past and present, then the New Patriotic Party (NPP), its leadership, rank and file and indeed all peace-loving Ghanaians had better taken the “Red Alert” warning by President Mills very serious.
For the President to have said that he has alerted and activated his security plans as the Commander-In –Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces on no less occasion than the State of the Nations Address to Parliament on Thursday 17th February 2011, meant that the NPP in particular and all members of the opposition in general should gird their loins for series of battles and war of survival.
Another wise saying modified slightly to suit the real purpose and intention of our great ancestors in proverbs is that when a blind person says he will throw a stone at an opponent or a perceived attacker in self defence or in an offensive operation, then that blind person already has a stone in his hands and not just under his foot.
Certainly, the President has ‘stones’ in his hands already and is more than ready to unleash ‘terror’ on the NPP in particular notwithstanding the “All Die Be Die” slogan of the party which is imbuing the members with the Enhanced Syndrome Of Resisting Oppressors’ Rule (ESOROR) and Bold To Defend Forever The Cause of Freedom (BOLDEFOCOF) as demanded of all reasonable Ghanaians by the National Anthem and Dr. Ephraim Amu’s “Yen ara Yaasaase Nie”.
By putting the “All Die Be Die” statement of Nana Addo in context and using proper interpretive skills within Ghana’s laws, including certain provisions of the Criminal Code, Act 29, NPP members were or are exhorted to avoid both over apprehension and over confidence in engaging the NDC and its hooligans, thugs, terrorist and accomplices as they demonstrated in Akwatia, Chereponi and Atiwa parliamentary elections with impunity.
There are abundant pieces of evidences by the actions and omissions of the President that he has indeed already prepared for atrocities, brutalities, harassment, intimidation and victimization of NPP and the opposition before Nana Addo’s call on party supporters to sacrifice for the party and the nation in order to develop, deepen and enhance Ghana’s democracy, freedom, justice, liberty and the rule of law.
The training of NDC foot-soldiers and members at Asutsuare Military Camp, in the general area of Bawku, some selected locations in the Greater Accra Region, Volta Region and at the Achiase Jungle Warfare School commenced in 2009 and has continued to date.
Some of these persons have already been smuggled into the Security Services notably the Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana Armed Forces and the Ghana Prisons Service while others are standing by to join.
For instance, when Major I Awuni (GH/3020) was reported to have led NDC thugs to the general area of Atiwa and the Director of the Ghana Armed Forces Public Relations Colonel Atintande denied it vehemently in the Daily Guide that the officer was working under him at his Directorate and not National Security where Office Complexes’ are built for Editors of newspapers, it took the publication of incontrovertible evidence for the GAF to be put to shame. Subsequent events showed that Major Awuni is in charge of special operations including Anti-Smuggling under the auspices of the National Security Coordinator.
There is ample evidence to support the allegation that Major Awuni is in the thick of affairs as far as the alleged training of NDC activists and conduct of offensive operations against NPP supporters are concerned.
The most important ‘stone’ already in the hands of the President is Strategic and Tactical appointments that he has made in the Security apparatus of the country since January 2009.
For the avoidance of any doubt, here are some of the key Strategic and Tactical appointments made by the President:
National Security Coordinator-Lt. Col AK Gbevo Lartey (Volta Region), Deputy National Security Coordinator-Mr. Kwashivi (Volta Region), Director BNI-Yaw Donkor (Volta Region), Deputy Director BNI- John Dogba (Volta Region),Director General CID of Ghana Police –Mr. Prosper Ablor (Volta Region),Deputy Director General CID of Ghana Police- Mr. Joshua Dogbeda (Volta Region), Director General Operations of Ghana Police- DCOP Kudalar(Volta Region), Director General Joint Operations GAF- 1 Star DK Mishio (Volta Region), Director Army Operations-Col SK Adeti(Volta Region), Chief of Staff (GAF)-Commodore GM Biekro (Volta Region),GOC Southern Command (GAF)- Brigadier Genera MK G Ahiaglo (Volta Region), Director General, Department of Communications and Information Systems GAF- Brigadier JCA Searyoh (Volta Region).
The rest are Commanding Officer 2Bn, Takoradi- Lt Col Ak Dawohoso (Volta Region), Commanding Officer 3Bn, Sunyani-Lt Col CK Lithur (Volta Region), Commanding Officer 4Bn, Kumasi –LT COL SWK Parbey (Volta Region), Commanding Officer 5Bn, Burma Camp-Lt Col LK Gbetanu (Volta Region), Commanding Officer Recce Regt- Lt Col Akou-Adjei (Volta Region), Commanding Officer48 Engineer Regt- Lt Col M Mustaha (Volta Region),Second In Command of 64 Infantry Regt- (taking over soon from the CO)- Major RK Mensah (Volta Region), CO Base Supply Depot-Lt Col S Gagakuma (Volta Region), CO Forces Pay Office- Lt Col AK Dziisi (Volta Region), CO Defence Signal Regt-Lt Col A Ntem (Volta Region), Commander 37 Military Hospital-Brig General PY Kponyoh (Volta Region), Commissioner of CEPS Division of Revenue Authority- Major General CS Modey (Volta Region) and Director General Prisons Services-Mr. Bansah (Volta Region).
An analysis of these appointments, leaving out the numerous Voltarians as Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Chief Executive, Directors of MDAS, Heads of State Financial Institutions and Quasi-state Institutions, would reveal that the appointment were well thought of, planned, executed with finesse with the knowledge and awareness at all levels and phases of the President.
As an illustration, the intelligence and operational set-ups of the Police, the Ghana Armed Forces and all the other major security services and state institutions are in the hands of Voltarians with 100% loyalty to the NDC and not necessarily the state.
The Police CID and the BNI are all choked with officials from the Volta Region from National through Regional to District levels all over the Country. Similarly, the operational set-ups in the Police and BNI are mainly in the hands of officers from the Volta Region to the exclusion of Akans especially those from Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Eastern Regions. Only officers from the three Northern Regions proven to be NDC members are permitted to join the Voltarians.
The story is the same in the Ghana Armed Forces and the National Security Secretariat and network in the country. It is not by accident that the Chief of Staff (who coordinates activities of the three services-Army, Navy and Airforce), the Director General Joint Operations, the Director Army Operations, the GOC Southern Command responsible for Accra and the entire coastline of Ghana and 11 Commanding Officers of the very strategic units are all in the hands of Voltarians.
Very reliable sources have it that the intelligence Departments of National Security, BNI and Police CID are used to arrest NPP supporters on trumped charges to be put in remand custody either with the Police or the Prisons service which are all controlled by officers from the Volta Region.
These are part of the gamut of strategies to be used by NDC, the President and his security Capos to unleash atrocities, harassment, brutalities, intimidation and victimization of the NPP into submission in order to steal the verdict of the people in 2012 (Another stolen verdict in Ghana addition to 1992?).
Only time will tell but surely the President has the advantage and has already seized the initiative.NPP Beware!!!
For the President to have said that he has alerted and activated his security plans as the Commander-In –Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces on no less occasion than the State of the Nations Address to Parliament on Thursday 17th February 2011, meant that the NPP in particular and all members of the opposition in general should gird their loins for series of battles and war of survival.
Another wise saying modified slightly to suit the real purpose and intention of our great ancestors in proverbs is that when a blind person says he will throw a stone at an opponent or a perceived attacker in self defence or in an offensive operation, then that blind person already has a stone in his hands and not just under his foot.
Certainly, the President has ‘stones’ in his hands already and is more than ready to unleash ‘terror’ on the NPP in particular notwithstanding the “All Die Be Die” slogan of the party which is imbuing the members with the Enhanced Syndrome Of Resisting Oppressors’ Rule (ESOROR) and Bold To Defend Forever The Cause of Freedom (BOLDEFOCOF) as demanded of all reasonable Ghanaians by the National Anthem and Dr. Ephraim Amu’s “Yen ara Yaasaase Nie”.
By putting the “All Die Be Die” statement of Nana Addo in context and using proper interpretive skills within Ghana’s laws, including certain provisions of the Criminal Code, Act 29, NPP members were or are exhorted to avoid both over apprehension and over confidence in engaging the NDC and its hooligans, thugs, terrorist and accomplices as they demonstrated in Akwatia, Chereponi and Atiwa parliamentary elections with impunity.
There are abundant pieces of evidences by the actions and omissions of the President that he has indeed already prepared for atrocities, brutalities, harassment, intimidation and victimization of NPP and the opposition before Nana Addo’s call on party supporters to sacrifice for the party and the nation in order to develop, deepen and enhance Ghana’s democracy, freedom, justice, liberty and the rule of law.
The training of NDC foot-soldiers and members at Asutsuare Military Camp, in the general area of Bawku, some selected locations in the Greater Accra Region, Volta Region and at the Achiase Jungle Warfare School commenced in 2009 and has continued to date.
Some of these persons have already been smuggled into the Security Services notably the Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana Armed Forces and the Ghana Prisons Service while others are standing by to join.
For instance, when Major I Awuni (GH/3020) was reported to have led NDC thugs to the general area of Atiwa and the Director of the Ghana Armed Forces Public Relations Colonel Atintande denied it vehemently in the Daily Guide that the officer was working under him at his Directorate and not National Security where Office Complexes’ are built for Editors of newspapers, it took the publication of incontrovertible evidence for the GAF to be put to shame. Subsequent events showed that Major Awuni is in charge of special operations including Anti-Smuggling under the auspices of the National Security Coordinator.
There is ample evidence to support the allegation that Major Awuni is in the thick of affairs as far as the alleged training of NDC activists and conduct of offensive operations against NPP supporters are concerned.
The most important ‘stone’ already in the hands of the President is Strategic and Tactical appointments that he has made in the Security apparatus of the country since January 2009.
For the avoidance of any doubt, here are some of the key Strategic and Tactical appointments made by the President:
National Security Coordinator-Lt. Col AK Gbevo Lartey (Volta Region), Deputy National Security Coordinator-Mr. Kwashivi (Volta Region), Director BNI-Yaw Donkor (Volta Region), Deputy Director BNI- John Dogba (Volta Region),Director General CID of Ghana Police –Mr. Prosper Ablor (Volta Region),Deputy Director General CID of Ghana Police- Mr. Joshua Dogbeda (Volta Region), Director General Operations of Ghana Police- DCOP Kudalar(Volta Region), Director General Joint Operations GAF- 1 Star DK Mishio (Volta Region), Director Army Operations-Col SK Adeti(Volta Region), Chief of Staff (GAF)-Commodore GM Biekro (Volta Region),GOC Southern Command (GAF)- Brigadier Genera MK G Ahiaglo (Volta Region), Director General, Department of Communications and Information Systems GAF- Brigadier JCA Searyoh (Volta Region).
The rest are Commanding Officer 2Bn, Takoradi- Lt Col Ak Dawohoso (Volta Region), Commanding Officer 3Bn, Sunyani-Lt Col CK Lithur (Volta Region), Commanding Officer 4Bn, Kumasi –LT COL SWK Parbey (Volta Region), Commanding Officer 5Bn, Burma Camp-Lt Col LK Gbetanu (Volta Region), Commanding Officer Recce Regt- Lt Col Akou-Adjei (Volta Region), Commanding Officer48 Engineer Regt- Lt Col M Mustaha (Volta Region),Second In Command of 64 Infantry Regt- (taking over soon from the CO)- Major RK Mensah (Volta Region), CO Base Supply Depot-Lt Col S Gagakuma (Volta Region), CO Forces Pay Office- Lt Col AK Dziisi (Volta Region), CO Defence Signal Regt-Lt Col A Ntem (Volta Region), Commander 37 Military Hospital-Brig General PY Kponyoh (Volta Region), Commissioner of CEPS Division of Revenue Authority- Major General CS Modey (Volta Region) and Director General Prisons Services-Mr. Bansah (Volta Region).
An analysis of these appointments, leaving out the numerous Voltarians as Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Chief Executive, Directors of MDAS, Heads of State Financial Institutions and Quasi-state Institutions, would reveal that the appointment were well thought of, planned, executed with finesse with the knowledge and awareness at all levels and phases of the President.
As an illustration, the intelligence and operational set-ups of the Police, the Ghana Armed Forces and all the other major security services and state institutions are in the hands of Voltarians with 100% loyalty to the NDC and not necessarily the state.
The Police CID and the BNI are all choked with officials from the Volta Region from National through Regional to District levels all over the Country. Similarly, the operational set-ups in the Police and BNI are mainly in the hands of officers from the Volta Region to the exclusion of Akans especially those from Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Eastern Regions. Only officers from the three Northern Regions proven to be NDC members are permitted to join the Voltarians.
The story is the same in the Ghana Armed Forces and the National Security Secretariat and network in the country. It is not by accident that the Chief of Staff (who coordinates activities of the three services-Army, Navy and Airforce), the Director General Joint Operations, the Director Army Operations, the GOC Southern Command responsible for Accra and the entire coastline of Ghana and 11 Commanding Officers of the very strategic units are all in the hands of Voltarians.
Very reliable sources have it that the intelligence Departments of National Security, BNI and Police CID are used to arrest NPP supporters on trumped charges to be put in remand custody either with the Police or the Prisons service which are all controlled by officers from the Volta Region.
These are part of the gamut of strategies to be used by NDC, the President and his security Capos to unleash atrocities, harassment, brutalities, intimidation and victimization of the NPP into submission in order to steal the verdict of the people in 2012 (Another stolen verdict in Ghana addition to 1992?).
Only time will tell but surely the President has the advantage and has already seized the initiative.NPP Beware!!!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Kokufu Promotions Rocks Military
The much awaited publication of the Military Secretary (MS) has finally arrived. As was expected, the MS publication of 28th January 2011 is another of the ‘Kokofu Promotions and Appointments’ of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) started in 2009.
A major interesting observation was the failure of the NDC and the Military High Command to promote any officer to the rank of Brigadier General or equivalent owing to the disagreements and tensions between the ‘Volta ‘and ‘Northern’ caucuses in the military.
Very reliable sources indicate that the promotions to the rank of Brigadier General and more Colonels and their equivalents have been postponed to June 2011 when reasonable compromises are likely to be reached between the ‘Dzelukope Mafia’ from the Volta region and the ‘Pepe Barons’ from the three Northern regions.
Consequently, Colonels Kwashie, Nibo, Sakyi, Hatse, Saagbul, Isaa-Wuni, Guyin and Kusi are to wait until June 2011. So also will Lieutenant Colonels Leba-Kamanya, Dzotefe-Mensah, Bleboo and Dafeamkpor wait until June 2011 for their rewards for various contributions?
For the avoidance of any doubts, the following are the major revelations in the MS publication of 28th January 2011. The following former Lieutenant Colonels have been promoted to the rank of Colonel with effect from 26th January 2011; DK Mensah (Gh/2179), M Dakurah (GH/2063), WO Agekum (GH/2065), FD Ogbey (GH/2152), SK Assem (GH/2237), JWK Asabre (GH/2289), F Ofori (GH/2162) NK Kporku GH/2163), SP Ebonyi (GH/2315) and SK Lawerh (GH/2167). The only Naval officer promoted from Commander to Naval Captain (equivalent of Colonel in the Army) is Captain (GN) S Angmor (GH/2383).
An analysis of the background of all the officers promoted to the rank of Colonel and equivalent makes interesting revelations.
Firstly, out of the eleven officers promoted; four (4) are from the Volta region, two (2) from the three Northern Regions (Upper West and East), three (3) from the Eastern Region (Krobos) and two (2) from the Central Region.
Secondly, the list shows that the officers all hail from areas where the NDC won in both the Presidential and Parliamentary elections. For example, Colonels DK Mensah, Ogbey, Assem and Kporku are Ewes from the Volta region; Colonels SK Lawerh and Naval Captain Angmor are Krobos from the Eastern region with Colonels F Ofori and SP Ebonyi are Fantes from the Central region.
It may also interest concerned persons to know that Colonel JWK Asabre is not from the Ashanti region as many believe in the military. He was born in the Ashanti region but hails from the Northern region and explains why in 2000 when he was the second in Command to then Lt Col HWK Agbenuzah (now Brigadier General) at the 6th Battalion of Infantry in Tamale, he worked tirelessly for the NDC to retain power but his efforts were in vain.
The promotions from Major to the ranks of Lieutenant Colonels and equivalent are also as follows: Lt Col JB Kpierel (GH/2562), Lt. Col WM Honkou (GH/2660), Lt Col NN Amegashie (GH/2662), Lt Col PK Hometowu (GH/2667), Lt Col EK Konadu (GH/2749), Lt Col RB Zubaviel (GH/2632), Lt Col GKT Sam (GH/2633), Lt Col J Vander-Pallen (GH/2645), Lt Col IK Twum-Ampofo (GH/2666) and Lt Col Y Salifu (GH/2685).
Those promoted in the Navy and Airforce to the ranks of Commander and Wing Commander respectively (equivalent of Lieutenant Colonels) are as follows; Commander BEK Atiayao (GH/2743), Commander EA Abrahams (GH/2744), Wing Commander EA Adongo (GH/2591) and Wing Commander CAN Mills (GH/2735).
It is interesting to note that the ‘value is the same’ for the promotions to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and equivalents. Most of the officers promoted are from the same strongholds of the NDC that is the Volta Region, the three Northern regions, Central region and parts of the Eastern region.
Other major revelations of the MS publication of the 28th January are worth noting. Firstly, the name of Brigadier General M Owusu –Ababio (GH/1571) was conspicuously missing. While Brigadier General HWK Agbenuzah (GH/1565) has been posted to DR Congo for duties with MONUSCO as Western Brigade Commander to replace Brigadier General Owusu-Ababio, the latter has not been posted anyway.
Rumors are rife that the ‘powers that be’ want the immediate retirement of General Owusu-Ababio and Brigadier General GK Adjei. The intended release of General is part of the victimization of Akan officers from Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Eastern regions.
Officers concerned are wondering why General Owusu-Ababio who is yet to reach his compulsory retiring age would be retired while General Hope who has already passed his compulsory retiring age is going on United Nations operations for one year. In order to clear any doubts find below the dates of birth of the two Generals.
a. Brig Gen M Owusu Ababio: 03/12/51
b. Brig Gen HWK Agbenuzah:03/01/51
Furthermore, while plans are underway to promote NDC favorites to the rank of Brigadier General and equivalents, Ashanti, Akyem and other Akans suspected to be sympathizers of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) are being marginalized.
For instance, while Colonel DJ Sakyi is Acting Director General (IPSO), Naval Captains SK Darbo and BF Asante have been appointed Deputy Director Generals of Plans and Developments and Logistics respectively.
Group Captain E Asare Yeboah has been made Deputy Director General Training for over two years and is very significant to note that Colonel Issa Wuni (GH/1835) has been appointed as the Acting Principal General Staff Officer to the Minister of Defence.
Until the MS of 28th January, General DK Frimong was holding that appointment and as was predicted last year that DK Frimpong was going to take over from General Hope this year as the Deputy Commandant of GAFCSC, we are vindicated.
A major interesting observation was the failure of the NDC and the Military High Command to promote any officer to the rank of Brigadier General or equivalent owing to the disagreements and tensions between the ‘Volta ‘and ‘Northern’ caucuses in the military.
Very reliable sources indicate that the promotions to the rank of Brigadier General and more Colonels and their equivalents have been postponed to June 2011 when reasonable compromises are likely to be reached between the ‘Dzelukope Mafia’ from the Volta region and the ‘Pepe Barons’ from the three Northern regions.
Consequently, Colonels Kwashie, Nibo, Sakyi, Hatse, Saagbul, Isaa-Wuni, Guyin and Kusi are to wait until June 2011. So also will Lieutenant Colonels Leba-Kamanya, Dzotefe-Mensah, Bleboo and Dafeamkpor wait until June 2011 for their rewards for various contributions?
For the avoidance of any doubts, the following are the major revelations in the MS publication of 28th January 2011. The following former Lieutenant Colonels have been promoted to the rank of Colonel with effect from 26th January 2011; DK Mensah (Gh/2179), M Dakurah (GH/2063), WO Agekum (GH/2065), FD Ogbey (GH/2152), SK Assem (GH/2237), JWK Asabre (GH/2289), F Ofori (GH/2162) NK Kporku GH/2163), SP Ebonyi (GH/2315) and SK Lawerh (GH/2167). The only Naval officer promoted from Commander to Naval Captain (equivalent of Colonel in the Army) is Captain (GN) S Angmor (GH/2383).
An analysis of the background of all the officers promoted to the rank of Colonel and equivalent makes interesting revelations.
Firstly, out of the eleven officers promoted; four (4) are from the Volta region, two (2) from the three Northern Regions (Upper West and East), three (3) from the Eastern Region (Krobos) and two (2) from the Central Region.
Secondly, the list shows that the officers all hail from areas where the NDC won in both the Presidential and Parliamentary elections. For example, Colonels DK Mensah, Ogbey, Assem and Kporku are Ewes from the Volta region; Colonels SK Lawerh and Naval Captain Angmor are Krobos from the Eastern region with Colonels F Ofori and SP Ebonyi are Fantes from the Central region.
It may also interest concerned persons to know that Colonel JWK Asabre is not from the Ashanti region as many believe in the military. He was born in the Ashanti region but hails from the Northern region and explains why in 2000 when he was the second in Command to then Lt Col HWK Agbenuzah (now Brigadier General) at the 6th Battalion of Infantry in Tamale, he worked tirelessly for the NDC to retain power but his efforts were in vain.
The promotions from Major to the ranks of Lieutenant Colonels and equivalent are also as follows: Lt Col JB Kpierel (GH/2562), Lt. Col WM Honkou (GH/2660), Lt Col NN Amegashie (GH/2662), Lt Col PK Hometowu (GH/2667), Lt Col EK Konadu (GH/2749), Lt Col RB Zubaviel (GH/2632), Lt Col GKT Sam (GH/2633), Lt Col J Vander-Pallen (GH/2645), Lt Col IK Twum-Ampofo (GH/2666) and Lt Col Y Salifu (GH/2685).
Those promoted in the Navy and Airforce to the ranks of Commander and Wing Commander respectively (equivalent of Lieutenant Colonels) are as follows; Commander BEK Atiayao (GH/2743), Commander EA Abrahams (GH/2744), Wing Commander EA Adongo (GH/2591) and Wing Commander CAN Mills (GH/2735).
It is interesting to note that the ‘value is the same’ for the promotions to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and equivalents. Most of the officers promoted are from the same strongholds of the NDC that is the Volta Region, the three Northern regions, Central region and parts of the Eastern region.
Other major revelations of the MS publication of the 28th January are worth noting. Firstly, the name of Brigadier General M Owusu –Ababio (GH/1571) was conspicuously missing. While Brigadier General HWK Agbenuzah (GH/1565) has been posted to DR Congo for duties with MONUSCO as Western Brigade Commander to replace Brigadier General Owusu-Ababio, the latter has not been posted anyway.
Rumors are rife that the ‘powers that be’ want the immediate retirement of General Owusu-Ababio and Brigadier General GK Adjei. The intended release of General is part of the victimization of Akan officers from Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Eastern regions.
Officers concerned are wondering why General Owusu-Ababio who is yet to reach his compulsory retiring age would be retired while General Hope who has already passed his compulsory retiring age is going on United Nations operations for one year. In order to clear any doubts find below the dates of birth of the two Generals.
a. Brig Gen M Owusu Ababio: 03/12/51
b. Brig Gen HWK Agbenuzah:03/01/51
Furthermore, while plans are underway to promote NDC favorites to the rank of Brigadier General and equivalents, Ashanti, Akyem and other Akans suspected to be sympathizers of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) are being marginalized.
For instance, while Colonel DJ Sakyi is Acting Director General (IPSO), Naval Captains SK Darbo and BF Asante have been appointed Deputy Director Generals of Plans and Developments and Logistics respectively.
Group Captain E Asare Yeboah has been made Deputy Director General Training for over two years and is very significant to note that Colonel Issa Wuni (GH/1835) has been appointed as the Acting Principal General Staff Officer to the Minister of Defence.
Until the MS of 28th January, General DK Frimong was holding that appointment and as was predicted last year that DK Frimpong was going to take over from General Hope this year as the Deputy Commandant of GAFCSC, we are vindicated.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
WHY EWE OFFICERS AND MEN HATE REGIONAL BALANCE IN GAF!
The officers and men from the Volta Region especially the “Dzelukope Mafia” were and are vehemently against the policy of regional balance in the GAF because their strategy and tactical plans are geared towards dominating all the Security Services and more importantly the GAF.
Hiding under the guise of being a minority group in the country, the officers and men from the Volta Region especially the “Dzelukupe Mafia” has strategized since the days of General Kotoka to control and dominate the GAF to protect and defend their interests, politically economically, and socially.
This has permeated all regimes since independence particularly immediately after Kotoka’s coup d’état and Rawlings’ regimes stretching from 1979 through to 2001, until the democratic forces of the good people of Ghana freely and fairly elected President JA Kufour to the throne. Even during the first term of President Kufour, when General SK Obeng was the CDS, the Volta Region had an undue advantage in the recruitment and enlistment of personnel into the GAF as the military hierarchy which had been dominated by the Volta Region during Rawlings too – long stay in power continued and persisted in their strategic march. For instance, between 2001 and 2005, Volta Region enjoyed 33.38% of officers commissioned into GAF. In the case of the other Ranks in 2003 the Volta Region had 210 out of 772 recruited into the Army (representing 27.21%), 61 out of 250 recruited into the Navy (representing 24.40%), 42 out of 176 recruited into the Airforce (representing 23.20%) for the same 2003 the Ashanti Region also had 93 for Army (12.05%), 19 for the Navy (7.60%) and 22 for the Airforce (12.50%).
The situation for the other Ranks recruitment in 2004 followed the same pattern. The Volta Region had 137 out of 618 recruited into the Army (22.17%); 97 out of 350 for the Navy (27.71%) and 51 out of 350 for the Navy (27.71%) and 51 out of 204 for the Airforce (25%). For the same 2004, Ashanti Region had 51 for the Army (8.25%); 24 for the Navy (6.85%) and 20 for the Airforce (9.80%). Between July 2002 and December 2004 Colonel MK Amuzu was the Director General (Personnel Administrator), having taken over from Brigadier General Wallace Gbedemah.
Incidentally, instructions issued by Colonel MK Amuzu clearly allocated vacancies on regional basis using figures from the then last known population census of Ghana but the orders were circumvented. The Volta Region with more representation on the regional teams entrusted with the recruitment exercise managed to have its way and dominated absolutely and functionally in all the three services (Army Navy and Airforce) in the recruitment of 2003, 2004 and 2005.
It was the attempt by General JB Danquah and the entire Military High Command to enforce the policy on regional and gender balances as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution under Article 35 (6) (b) that saw all the Ewe officers and men in the GAF protesting thereby inviting unfortunate comments on it from FLt Lt JJ Rawlings in October 2008 at Peki in the Volta Region during a political rally of the NDC. For the avoidance of doubt, the Constitutional provision states that “Towards the achievement of the objectives stated in clause (5) of this Article, the state SHALL take appropriate measures to achieve reasonable regional and gender balance in recruitment and appointment to public offices.”
There is no doubt that the GAF are part of the public offices as the officers and men are paid from the Consolidated Fund and all their requirements are provided by the state (public funds).
Even during the period 2006 to 2008 when the attempt was made to achieve reasonable regional and gender balance, the Volta Region still topped if figures from all the three services were put together for the officers and men. That explains why to the date the Volta Region commands between 24 and 28% of the Ghana Armed forces.
The situation is being worsened under President Mills. Under the current NDC regime, there has been a systematic deliberate conscious and well planned effort to augment the proportion of personnel from the Volta Region in the GAF while at the same time denying persons from the Akan dominated regions especially Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Eastern Entry into the GAF.
As if that was not enough, several Akan officers have been targeted for release from the GAF whereas their counterparts from the Volta Region are not being released even where there are several years above their compulsory retiring ages. This strategy is ensuring attrition for the Akans particularly Ashantis, Brongs, Akyems, Akwapims, and Kwahus while ensuring an accelerated admission of more persons from the Volta Region, especially Southern Volta Region (Anlos) into the GAF.
It may interest well meaning Ghanaian to note that when a massive release of Other Ranks recruited between 1979 and 1983 was effected between May 2009 and June 2010 under President Mills, the Ex – Soldiers from the Volta Region and those from other regions perceived to be NDC sympathizers have been employed by the National Security Secretariat and the Ministry of Defence in aid of capacities while the rest have been left to their fate to ensure NDC and Volta Region domination in the GAF.
These are acts of unfair treatment, victimization of Akans, from Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Eastern Regions and ill-treatment against perceived NPP sympathizers in the military are breeding tension in the military and threaten our peaceful democratic march.
It is better for these facts to brought out for discussion and solution than to sweep them under the carpet using uncalled for accusation of whipping tribal sentiments when in fact the NDC and its Agents are the causes of the tribal and ethnic politicization of the GAF.
The fraudulent recruitment exercise of 2009/2010 showed clearly that the NDC has a serious agenda to recruit more persons from the Volta Region than the others in order to achieve political gains during the 2012 elections.
Several persons from the Volta Region and a few other regions belonging to the NDC were fraudulently recruited into the Army, Navy and Airforce and are currently undergoing training at the various Military recruit training schools at Shai Hills, Tema and Takoradi. The list of persons selected shows the dominance by the Volta Region and foot soldiers of the NDC from other part of the country.
For instance, out of the 453 sent to Army Recruit Training School at Shai Hills, 122 hail from the Volta Region even though only 38 were recruited from Ho. Another figure of 57 persons hailing from the Volta Region was recruited from the Greater Accra Region. Several of these persons did not go through the recruitment process. Some of them were made to replace others from the Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Eastern Regions who had genuinely been processed for various stages of the recruitment exercise. Particular mention has to be made of persons who were brought to Burma Hall on 16th April, 2010 on the authority of Brigadier General EC Quist (the Director General Personnel Administration at the time).
These persons numbering over 300 were illegally inserted into the selection process. Some of them were made to join the Army first Batch on 1st July 2010 while some joined the Navy and the Airforce who are all currently undergoing training. This illegal insertion brought some misunderstandings between Brig Gen Quist and Colonel T Ba-Taa-Banah, the Director Manpower Planning: Colonel T Ba-Taa-Banah’s insistence on the right thing being done resulted in his removal and his “good riddance” to Sabbatical Leave in China under the guise of a Course.
As for the rumors being peddled by some Ewe officers and men that the victimized Colonel was the course of the Brigadier General’s death, the least said about it the better. The only possibility of a justification for the unfair allegation and accusation is the Back –To- Sender Argument”. If indeed it is true that juju was found in Colonel T Ba-Taa-Banah’s office and the juju was alleged to ‘eliminate him’ then the only reasonable inference is that because God loves him and comes from the Upper West where the “trees” are very powerful , he managed to survive the juju and naturally the “poison” went back to the sender.
Furthermore, the strategy of the current NDC and Volta Region controlled Ghana Armed Forces is to systematically reduce the representation of Akans from the NPP strongholds while increasing the representation of the Volta Region and the NDC strongholds Regions. For instance, since January 2009 over thirty military officers of various ranks between Colonel, Major and Lieutenant Generals have been released compulsorily mainly under the pretext of age and lack of vacancy while officers from the Volta Region who are several years and months overaged have been given juicy and motivating appointment and promotions.
Efforts are still under way to release Colonels Agyekum Yamoah, EA Mensah, MD Boampong and Ankomah Danso and Brigadier General George Adjei and at the same time, the Military High Command is preparing to submit the names of Colonel DJ Sakyi, Group Captain EK Boateng, Colonel RPKZ Hatse, Colonel EWK Nibo, Colonel Senchim and Colonel FK Kwashie for promotion to Brigadier General and equivalent.
Hiding under the guise of being a minority group in the country, the officers and men from the Volta Region especially the “Dzelukupe Mafia” has strategized since the days of General Kotoka to control and dominate the GAF to protect and defend their interests, politically economically, and socially.
This has permeated all regimes since independence particularly immediately after Kotoka’s coup d’état and Rawlings’ regimes stretching from 1979 through to 2001, until the democratic forces of the good people of Ghana freely and fairly elected President JA Kufour to the throne. Even during the first term of President Kufour, when General SK Obeng was the CDS, the Volta Region had an undue advantage in the recruitment and enlistment of personnel into the GAF as the military hierarchy which had been dominated by the Volta Region during Rawlings too – long stay in power continued and persisted in their strategic march. For instance, between 2001 and 2005, Volta Region enjoyed 33.38% of officers commissioned into GAF. In the case of the other Ranks in 2003 the Volta Region had 210 out of 772 recruited into the Army (representing 27.21%), 61 out of 250 recruited into the Navy (representing 24.40%), 42 out of 176 recruited into the Airforce (representing 23.20%) for the same 2003 the Ashanti Region also had 93 for Army (12.05%), 19 for the Navy (7.60%) and 22 for the Airforce (12.50%).
The situation for the other Ranks recruitment in 2004 followed the same pattern. The Volta Region had 137 out of 618 recruited into the Army (22.17%); 97 out of 350 for the Navy (27.71%) and 51 out of 350 for the Navy (27.71%) and 51 out of 204 for the Airforce (25%). For the same 2004, Ashanti Region had 51 for the Army (8.25%); 24 for the Navy (6.85%) and 20 for the Airforce (9.80%). Between July 2002 and December 2004 Colonel MK Amuzu was the Director General (Personnel Administrator), having taken over from Brigadier General Wallace Gbedemah.
Incidentally, instructions issued by Colonel MK Amuzu clearly allocated vacancies on regional basis using figures from the then last known population census of Ghana but the orders were circumvented. The Volta Region with more representation on the regional teams entrusted with the recruitment exercise managed to have its way and dominated absolutely and functionally in all the three services (Army Navy and Airforce) in the recruitment of 2003, 2004 and 2005.
It was the attempt by General JB Danquah and the entire Military High Command to enforce the policy on regional and gender balances as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution under Article 35 (6) (b) that saw all the Ewe officers and men in the GAF protesting thereby inviting unfortunate comments on it from FLt Lt JJ Rawlings in October 2008 at Peki in the Volta Region during a political rally of the NDC. For the avoidance of doubt, the Constitutional provision states that “Towards the achievement of the objectives stated in clause (5) of this Article, the state SHALL take appropriate measures to achieve reasonable regional and gender balance in recruitment and appointment to public offices.”
There is no doubt that the GAF are part of the public offices as the officers and men are paid from the Consolidated Fund and all their requirements are provided by the state (public funds).
Even during the period 2006 to 2008 when the attempt was made to achieve reasonable regional and gender balance, the Volta Region still topped if figures from all the three services were put together for the officers and men. That explains why to the date the Volta Region commands between 24 and 28% of the Ghana Armed forces.
The situation is being worsened under President Mills. Under the current NDC regime, there has been a systematic deliberate conscious and well planned effort to augment the proportion of personnel from the Volta Region in the GAF while at the same time denying persons from the Akan dominated regions especially Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Eastern Entry into the GAF.
As if that was not enough, several Akan officers have been targeted for release from the GAF whereas their counterparts from the Volta Region are not being released even where there are several years above their compulsory retiring ages. This strategy is ensuring attrition for the Akans particularly Ashantis, Brongs, Akyems, Akwapims, and Kwahus while ensuring an accelerated admission of more persons from the Volta Region, especially Southern Volta Region (Anlos) into the GAF.
It may interest well meaning Ghanaian to note that when a massive release of Other Ranks recruited between 1979 and 1983 was effected between May 2009 and June 2010 under President Mills, the Ex – Soldiers from the Volta Region and those from other regions perceived to be NDC sympathizers have been employed by the National Security Secretariat and the Ministry of Defence in aid of capacities while the rest have been left to their fate to ensure NDC and Volta Region domination in the GAF.
These are acts of unfair treatment, victimization of Akans, from Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Eastern Regions and ill-treatment against perceived NPP sympathizers in the military are breeding tension in the military and threaten our peaceful democratic march.
It is better for these facts to brought out for discussion and solution than to sweep them under the carpet using uncalled for accusation of whipping tribal sentiments when in fact the NDC and its Agents are the causes of the tribal and ethnic politicization of the GAF.
The fraudulent recruitment exercise of 2009/2010 showed clearly that the NDC has a serious agenda to recruit more persons from the Volta Region than the others in order to achieve political gains during the 2012 elections.
Several persons from the Volta Region and a few other regions belonging to the NDC were fraudulently recruited into the Army, Navy and Airforce and are currently undergoing training at the various Military recruit training schools at Shai Hills, Tema and Takoradi. The list of persons selected shows the dominance by the Volta Region and foot soldiers of the NDC from other part of the country.
For instance, out of the 453 sent to Army Recruit Training School at Shai Hills, 122 hail from the Volta Region even though only 38 were recruited from Ho. Another figure of 57 persons hailing from the Volta Region was recruited from the Greater Accra Region. Several of these persons did not go through the recruitment process. Some of them were made to replace others from the Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Eastern Regions who had genuinely been processed for various stages of the recruitment exercise. Particular mention has to be made of persons who were brought to Burma Hall on 16th April, 2010 on the authority of Brigadier General EC Quist (the Director General Personnel Administration at the time).
These persons numbering over 300 were illegally inserted into the selection process. Some of them were made to join the Army first Batch on 1st July 2010 while some joined the Navy and the Airforce who are all currently undergoing training. This illegal insertion brought some misunderstandings between Brig Gen Quist and Colonel T Ba-Taa-Banah, the Director Manpower Planning: Colonel T Ba-Taa-Banah’s insistence on the right thing being done resulted in his removal and his “good riddance” to Sabbatical Leave in China under the guise of a Course.
As for the rumors being peddled by some Ewe officers and men that the victimized Colonel was the course of the Brigadier General’s death, the least said about it the better. The only possibility of a justification for the unfair allegation and accusation is the Back –To- Sender Argument”. If indeed it is true that juju was found in Colonel T Ba-Taa-Banah’s office and the juju was alleged to ‘eliminate him’ then the only reasonable inference is that because God loves him and comes from the Upper West where the “trees” are very powerful , he managed to survive the juju and naturally the “poison” went back to the sender.
Furthermore, the strategy of the current NDC and Volta Region controlled Ghana Armed Forces is to systematically reduce the representation of Akans from the NPP strongholds while increasing the representation of the Volta Region and the NDC strongholds Regions. For instance, since January 2009 over thirty military officers of various ranks between Colonel, Major and Lieutenant Generals have been released compulsorily mainly under the pretext of age and lack of vacancy while officers from the Volta Region who are several years and months overaged have been given juicy and motivating appointment and promotions.
Efforts are still under way to release Colonels Agyekum Yamoah, EA Mensah, MD Boampong and Ankomah Danso and Brigadier General George Adjei and at the same time, the Military High Command is preparing to submit the names of Colonel DJ Sakyi, Group Captain EK Boateng, Colonel RPKZ Hatse, Colonel EWK Nibo, Colonel Senchim and Colonel FK Kwashie for promotion to Brigadier General and equivalent.