Welcome William of the House of Akufo-Addo (1)

It is with great pleasure, joy, satisfaction and a high sense of relief that we welcome William of the House of Akuffo-Addo, Second of His Name, 5th President of the 4th Republic of Ghana, Commander-In-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, Protector of the Realm covering the 10 regions and its land, water and air space, Defender of the Constitution of the Republic, Speaker of Orgasmic English and Father of Elephants.

  

As the President of the Republic of Ghana and Commander In Chief of Ghana’s Armed Forces, Nana automatically becomes the new leader of our community. We have just said bye bye to the “one dollar” President.

It is trite knowledge that the out-gone leader was the most disappointing head of our community. Apart from the incompetence, corruption and mismanagement of all national resources that our former leader exhibited, he has left a much divided community. 

The divide-and rule tactics that our former leader, John Mahama adopted have polarized all the Security Services along NDC and NPP lines. The hawks in the NDC ensured that clear lines were drawn between “us” (the NDC) and “them” (the NPP). 

Our community had become a “policed” place. Members of our community had to look over their shoulders before speaking or else they would be reported to the “powers-that- be” to be victimized. The machineries of the National Security Secretariat and the Defence Intelligence had been turned into agencies for oppression and suppression rather than providing protection for members of our community. 

With the Komlagas, Mustaphas, Agbekas, Ametepis, Boimahs, Dzisis, Allohs, Beick-Baffours, Kporkus, Adus, Adokpas, Ayamdos, Adetis, Fiawvos, Datsas, Fianyas, Seidu-Adams, Issakas, Adorkors, Akou-Adjeis, Gbedawos, Ntems, Parbeys, Gbetanus, Gagakumas and several others coordinating, planning and executing well defined policies of inclusion, favouring the babies of the “Umbrella”, and exclusion destroying the perceived babies of the elephant, our community lost all its mechanisms for team work, cohesion esprit de corps and comradeship. 

Indeed, the bonds of brotherliness and friendship that were the hallmarks of “barracks life” had been broken by the deliberate strategies and tactics of the triangulation of Seidu-Adams, Senchim, Akou-Adjei/Beick-Baffour in the military. As a matter of fact, as soon as Brigadier General Seidu Adams took over from Commodore TS Appiah in 2009 as the Military Secretary while John Mills was alive, he partnered Colonel Senchim, who was then the over-aged Army Secretary, to destroy most of the finest Akan Generals and Colonels. Most Akan Generals (the likes of Emmanuel Okyere, Richard Debrah, Oppong- Kyekyeku, RO Sackey, Owusu-Ababio, Oppong- Otchere, Dan Frimpong, JS Nkrumah, JK Forkuo and several others) and a few non-Akans suspected to belong to the elephant fraternity were rushed to the abattoir for slaughter while in their places criminally-minded, incompetent, morally-corrupt, professionally inept, bankrupt in ideas but highly ethnocentric officers were appointed and prompted to the enviable ranks of Generals and Colonels to promote, enhance and sustain the hidden agenda of the aforementioned triangulation. 

The story was much the same during the short-lived and uneventful period of then Colonel Francis Vib-Sanziri as the Army Secretary. 

These architects of Ewe and Northern hegemonies wanted the best for themselves and their kinsmen but left the “others” to perish and rot. Only the best appointments were given to “themselves” while the “others” got the carcass. 

Again, the best courses were shared among “themselves” while the “others” got the irrelevant courses. The high profile courses (career and professional) were reserved for “themselves”. The smartest thing that General Seidu-Adams did was to ensure that he got the appointment of Defence, Military, Naval and Air Attaché (DMNAA) to Washington DC in the United States of America.

 A similar strategy was adopted by Colonel Johnson Kofi Akou-Adjei (GH/2268). Having destroyed a lot of Akan officers, Colonel JK Akou-Adjei got himself selected to go to the War College in USA where he ensured that Brigadier General Alhassan Abu got the appointment of DMNAA in order to cater for his welfare and well-being.

Thus, in rapid succession, a Gonja brother of the out-gone One Dollar President hands over to another Northerner as DMNAA Washington DC! 

The details of several other appointments that became, and continue to be, the preserve of the two cabals under the presidency of our former leader-as Vice President and Chairman of the Armed Forces Council under President Mills; President to complete John Mills’ mandate and President in his own right from January 7^th 2013 to January 6 2017-would be given.

For instance, how on earth could our former leader grant Colonel Paul Seidu Tanye-Kulono (GH/2495) study leave for two years to do a Masters Degree in Law in the United States of America just before he left office? 

Would that “reward” not deepen the suspicion that ordinary and well informed members of the Ghanaian society have that our former leader probably had a reckless disregard for the life of President John Mills?

Members of our community should not forget that then Lieutenant Colonel PS Tanye-Kulono was the President’s Security Coordinator (PSC) at the Osu Castle during the “Mysterious” death of President Mills.

The obvious question that objective-minded Ghanaians asked was “where were the Security Officers of the President on that fateful Tuesday 24^th July 2012?”

Obviously, the PSC Lieutenant Colonel PS Tanye-Kulono, the ADC, Colonel EL Lawson and Liaison Officer at the Chief of Staff’s Office at Osu Castle, Colonel LL Attachie stand accused.

Interestingly, the ADC Colonel El Lawson is also on official duties in the USA. 

Apart from promoting then Lieutenant Colonels LL Attachie and PS Tanye-Kulonyo to Colonels, the latter has been rewarded with a local course in Law in Ghana and a Masters Degree in law in USA ostensibly to assist him to defend himself when the Enquiry or Commission into the “unnatural” death of Prof. JEA Mills is inaugurated!

It is obvious from some of the appointments, promotions, selection for courses (local and foreign) and discrimination in releases that various forms of anomalies, unfair treatment and victimization have occurred in the Ghana Armed Forces. 

Similar things have happened in the other Security Services, namely the Police Service, the Prisons Service, Fire Service and Immigration Service. 

Some of the officers, who were wrongly victimized after 7^th January, 2009 are now Colonel Joseph Aduko Aphour-a Northerner perceived to be a sympathizer of the NPP- and Lieutenant Colonel Adjaye Gaisie (Rtd).

The two gentlemen were the Commanding Officers of the 6^th and 1^st Infantry Battalions in Tamale and Tema respectively during the 2008 general elections. As Commanding Officers, they had over all command and control responsibilities over troops in their Areas of Responsibility, the Northern and Eastern Regions respectively. 

Because they performed their duties professionally and therefore stepped on the toes of the National Democratic Congress whose rigging machinery, animalistic behaviour of violence, brutalities and atrocities and intimidation were in full gear in various parts of the Northern and Eastern Regions in the 2008 general elections, they became the enemies of the umbrella fraternity immediately John Mills was sworn into office. 

Then Lieutenant Colonel JA Aphour lost his command of the 6^th Battalion and was posted to the Army Headquarters without any appointment and office initially. His command over 6 Battalion was thus very short-lived lasting less than a year having been appointed the Commanding Officer in 2008. 

As if that was not enough “punishment” Lieutenant Colonel JA Aphour was sent to a very volatile mission area for peace support operation for a very long period before he was “cleared” to return to his home establishment. 

Since then, he has been languishing at the Department of Logistics at the General Headquarters.

If the case of Lieutenant Colonel JA Aphour was undesirable, then that of Lieutenant Colonel Adjaye Gaisie was more pathetic, bizarre and painful.

For the various roles that he played to deny the likes of Former Honorable Baba Jamel and others enough room to maneuver in their bid to win Parliamentary Seats and enough votes in the Presidential elections, Lieutenant Colonel Adjaye Gaisie was earmarked for destruction.

A well orchestrated plan was hatched by the Attachies, Lawsons, Gbekles and Tanye-Kulunos. He was accused of alienating some of the military lands near the 1^st Battalion at Michel Camp to some private estate developers and thereby appropriating some to himself. He was denied an opportunity to send his battalion on peace support operations in Chad and stripped of his command. He was hurriedly posted to Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC) as a member of the Directing Staff during the tenure of office of General Samuel Anum Odotei as the Chief of Army Staff.

Within a very short time, he was attached to the headquarters of the Southern Command of the Ghana Army at Teshie for a Board of Inquiry to be instituted against him. Various intimidating and humiliating processes and procedures were adopted against Lieutenant Colonel Gaisie in order to extract evidence from him. At that time Brigadier General Ahiaglo and Major General Adinkrah (a Ga-Adangbe) had been appointed GOC Southern Command and Chief of Army Staff respectively.

For several months, various forms of summary of evidence, Extract of Evidence, examination and cross-examination of witnesses including Chiefs and Officials of Estate Companies took place. It was obvious from the time lines of the investigation that the “powers-that-be” were patiently waiting for the poor officer, who has served his nation very professionally and diligently, to reach his compulsory retiring age in order to be released at the age of 53 years.

With alacrity, Colonel Akou-Adjei and his brother Commodore Beick-Baffour got the hard working officer released from the Armed Forces “honorably”. The question that agitated the minds of the objective members of our community was that if indeed there was enough evidence of probative value would the authorities release him honorably without a trial at the General Court Martial as they had threatened from the beginning? Certainly No.

These two examples are just the tip of the iceberg as far as unfair treatment, victimization, witch-haunting and injustices are concerned in the crusade by the NDC powerbrokers in the Ghana Armed Forces against their perceived political opponents.

In order to perpetuate these types of selective justices, unfair and ill-treatment, the politically-minded appointments and promotions were made on 1^st July 2016 and 2^nd November 2016. The promotions of Major Generals William Azure Ayamdo and Sampson Kudjo Adeti in particular and those of Air Vice Marshal Maxwell Mantserbi-Tei Nagai and Rear Admiral Peter Kofi Faidoo and several others in general were aimed at perpetuating the “old order” of the P/NDC. 

It may be deceptive to think that only Major General SK Adeti is the ‘red devil’. He might have been open enough to attract the attention of members of our community and the nation at large through his actions especially in the run up to the Parliamentary and Presidential elections of 2016. 

There is no doubt that the main architects of rigging in favour of our former leader and his NDC using the military machinery and other coercive forces of the State were many and very powerful. However, some others such as Generals Adokpa, Fiawoo, Ametepi, Agbeka, Ayer, Ofori, Kporku, Boimah and Adu were also deeply involved in various forms of inappropriate and unprofessional practices that could have landed our peaceful nation into chaos and disintegration. 

The master strategists managed to put their men at the helm of all the affairs of strategic and tactical importance before the elections. Some of such appointments include the Military Secretary which was given on silver platter to Brigadier General Christopher Kwadwo Gyasensir, to continue from where Commodore Beick-Baffour left off. 

Both General Gyasensir and Commodore Beick-Baffour are from the Mid-North Volta Region Area, have and pursue the same interests. With their own in charge of Joint Operations, Support Services Brigade, Army Training Comd, PRxD, Logistics and Defence Financial Controller, the stage has been prepared, nourished and activated to ensure that even though the NPP has won political power, the NDC would continue to pull the strings and call the shots. But is that what the real and positive changes are about? No.