Time For Real Changes In Our Communities

The euphoria that welcomed and surrounded Nana Addo’s victory at the December 2016 elections and his subsequent investiture as the Fifth President of the Fourth Republic may evaporate into thin air if deliberate conscious and well planned efforts and strategies are not put in place for real changes in our communities.

There is no doubt that all our communities are infested with mines and minefields. The NDC government of former President John Mahama set up a consortium of strategists to put mechanisms in place in all the security and non-security communities to ensure that the “scent” of the NDC would be felt everywhere.

The exit of the NDC from the political citadel has not in any way affected its influence and grip over state institutions and their personnel. 

Thus, all the security services, MDAs and financial institutions still owe allegiance to the NDC owing to the fact that most senior management officials are still at post.

The President’s desire to respect the constitution, statutes and rule of law has put constraints on his executive power “to hire and fire”. The process of hiring and firing is being followed in a piecemeal and painstakingly cautious manner.

So far, a few very notorious public officials including one from our main sister community, the Police, have been relieved of their appointments.

On Wednesday 25^th January, 2017, Mr. John Kudalor, the outgoing/outgone Inspector General Police (IGP)  called on His Excellency, our Commander-In-Chief and President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to bid him farewell for completion of his meritorious service with the “Noble Profession of Service with Integrity”.

It is true that the Opunis, Anamoos, Thompsons and Moulds have been relieved of their appointments but members of our security communities are more anxious about the Ghana Armed Forces, the Ghana Immigration Service, the Prisons Service, Fire Service and the Ghana Revenue Authority.

I wish to deal with these Security Services one after the other. Now that the Ghana Police Service has been given one of its best officers - in terms of stature (physical, academic and professional qualifications and development), experience, maturity and wisdom - in several years. The expectation of members of our community is that same or similar actions would be taken in the remaining Security Services. 

It is good for the NDC to compare its IGPs between 2009 to 2017 (namely Mrs. Mills Robertson, Paul Tawiah Quaye, Mohammed Alhassan And John Kudalor ) with the “caretaker” IGP who is likely to be confirmed by the end of March 2017 when the full Council of State shall have been put in place. 

There is no doubt that Mr. David Asante-Apeatu is an all round “Police officer Extraordinaire, Exceptionel, Numero Un”. 

I wish to congratulate him on his well deserved appointment and promotion. I need to thank our “Commander-In-Chief” for that bold decision!! 

Congrats Commander-In-Chief, Sir (with salute)!

I wish to invite the Commander-In-Chief to extend the same fairness, courage, sense of urgency and alacrity to the Ghana Armed Forces. 

It is trite knowledge that Mr. John Kudalor’s main “partner in crime” in relation to the 2016 elections was in our community.

Our leader in particular took Ghanaians for a ride with the certified and known thief ably supporting him in all the clandestine and nocturnal activities and operations.

Our leader it is said to have issued unwanted threats to Ghanaians before and during the elections.

In order to be able to control the resources of the Ghana Armed Forces and the nation State Ghana, our leader kept on and is still doing unimaginable damages to the Armed Forces and the state. 

Making himself indispensable as the driver of the Presidential Car, our leader has misrepresented the policies of Public Private Partnership (PPP) and Internally Generated Funds (IGF) and has amassed wealth more than any of our leaders in the times past.

It is said that our leader had the ear of “One Dollar” thus he ignored and sidelined the Doctor representative at the Ministry who is alleged to be in the camp of a former pilot who rose to become a Commander-In-Chief of this community.

It is said that our leader had no respect nor regard for the Doctor but rather chose to deal directly with “One Dollar” either in their homes at East Cantonments or on the Presidential Car travels around the country or at the Presidency. 

As a result, our lands, assets and facilities have been misapplied, wrongly alienated and forcibly given to cronies, family members, business partners and persons with doubtful character traits. 

Monies derived from such “deals” have been used to acquire all sorts of assets (vehicles, houses, businesses and women) to the detriment of the Ghana Armed Forces and the State.

In all these schemes, our leader was supported and encouraged by the known thief who is also linked directly or indirectly with most of these “activities and operations”. 

In some cases, unauthorized operations were conducted in and outside their Areas of operation or jurisdiction. Very unfortunate fatalities occurred in some of these one-man unlawful operations.

Members of our communities are therefore very much surprised about the intense lobbying that is being prosecuted at the instance or on behalf of some military officers. Can you believe that Brigadier General Alloh is also lobbying and begging behind the scenes for some things he did?  

For instance, is it not shameful somebody camouflaged himself and attended the thanksgiving service of Nana Akufo-Addo at Kyebi on Sunday 8^th January 2017?

Again, is it not shameful that the same person is parading the corridors of Jubilee House with some “Ashanti In-laws” for him to be retained or appointed? Do these military officers have scruples at all? No, I doubt!!

If the actions of this person were shameful and unprofessional as some community members are saying, then I guess our leader’s is worrying as well.

Our leader is now using the gym as the conduit for his lobbying. It is said that our leader is using the Finance Minister and Attorney General and Minister of Justice for that purpose. 

Because these government officials are very close to President Nana Addo, our leader is using them to prevail on the President to maintain him till his time is due.

Some of the arguments being sponsored by our leader are the facts that he is the only trained driver of the nation’s car; that he was a trainer of trainees and there is no immediate replacement for him. The argument continues that he has driven more hours than any other driver ever in the history of the vehicle section of our community today. That he is the most experienced driver in that section. 

The very arguments that our leader has advanced to support his cause should be used against him. How come that at age 63 years he is the only driver for the Presidential Car? Does it mean that he does not have any succession plan? 

Is it not against driving safety for a 63 year old to be driving several hours while younger drivers are available? What is so unique about the Presidential Car that the lawfully licensed and qualified drivers of our community cannot be converted unto it? 

Is it or was it not a deliberate ploy to enable our leader have perpetual access to the Presidency and Presidents?

Anyway, does he drive the car alone? Certainly No. So the co-drivers are not or cannot be made available to drive the car alone? 

Where are the Group Captains Bekoes, Nkansahs and the others who have all been trained on and have been driving alongside our leader? 

Is it fair for our leader to always drive as the Captain of the car while the more energetic, with smart and sharp reflexes, younger Captains and Squadron leaders are Co-drivers?

How and when will these younger drivers acquire experience and maturity on those particular and other cars if they are not allowed to drive? 

Why will our leader not allow these younger drivers to build their confidence to deal with all kinds of situations as they drive all the cars available in our vehicle section (the Fokkers: Casas, Mi-35 Helicopters, Embraer; Mi-17 V5 Helicopters etc)? 

But on a more serious note, how come our leader has become the only most experienced and matured driver in our vehicle section today? 

Is it not his making and that of former President John Mahama? 

When he was the leader of our vehicle section then, our leader prevailed upon former President Mahama to retain him as the Service Commander when his other colleagues were retired thus enabling him to stay in office from 31^st March 2009 to 12^th January 2016, what was he expecting to happen to his own mates and immediate subordinates? 

What happened to Air Commodores Abbas, Ayisa, Krakue and late Obeng Onwona?

Was it not the greed and callousness of our leader as head of our vehicle section that led to the compulsory retirement of all those fine car drivers?

What about the case of the late Air Commodore Obeng Onwona? This driver could easily have succeeded our leader as the Chief Driver before Tei-Nagai. But what happened? 

Because Obeng Onwonna was younger in age and had become a threat to our leader, the latter withdrew all courtesies and assistance to the former at a time that our leader knew that the fine religious gentleman had some medical challenges. 

Attempts to fly the officer abroad for further medical treatment were thwarted by our aberrant leader.

Without any scruples and compunction, our leader put unbearable pressure on the poor officer in his ill health thereby compounding his problems. 

For instance, our leader posted this fine gentleman from where he was to take up the job of a guy who was nearly shot overseas in a form of humiliation. 

As if that was not enough he gave a short notice ultimatum to him to leave the “tight quarter” at Juba Ridge.

As if that was also not enough, our leader kept issuing queries to this fine gentleman to answer indicating in all those letters that the poor officer should explain why disciplinary action should not be taken against him.

For instance, during the fateful 6^th March 2013 Independence Parade when rain suddenly fell and disrupted the beauty of it,  our leader put the blame on this gentleman and demanded why disciplinary action should not to be taken against him for not having a plan B for wet weather parade. 

When all these avoidable pressures were put on this gentleman, and his medical condition started worsening, our leader would not be bothered.

Internally Generated Funds (in dollars) were available but this officer was denied access to medical care and treatment and eventually died to the relief of our leader. Why did our leader refuse to attend the burial and the funeral of late Air Commoodre Obeng Onwonna when he had been instrumental in the selection of the date?

Again, how come up to date, our leader has failed to visit the wife and family of the late Air Commodore Obeng Onwona? Nobody who knew the Narteys, Nakobus, Brachies, Kekrebesis, Krakues, Ayisas and the Ojes in the mid eighties, nineties and 2000s would believe what happened. Yet it has happened.

There five officers were contemporaries of our leader. They belonged to the same squadrons at Tamale, Takoradi and in Accra. They flew the Fokkers 27 and 28 and the Skyvans together in warm amity. But times have changed. 

Today, Air Commodore Obeng Onwona is no more. Monies that could have been used to save his life have been used to reward Colonel JFNK Freeman as Deputy Milad in New York. 

Colonel Freeman “managed” the funds (IGF) and others for our leader. Oh yes, power sweet. Sweet power in absolute terms corrupts absolutely!! That is the current situation with our leader.

All those pieces of information coupled with the unprofessional conduct exhibited by our leader and the known thief require that both men leave the Ghana Armed Forces immediately.

Mr. President, most of the members of our community are becoming impatient with the continuous stay of these two officers and a few others in their appointments. There is no doubt that these two officers, in particular, and a few others were deliberately put in their positions by John Mahama and the NDC for specific purposes. 

Thankfully, the Good Lord has seen us through their evil deeds (all the plans B, C, and D for the elections) including weapons and ammunitions that were taken from the armories and Base Ammunitions Depot at Military Academy and Training Schools, 64 Infantry Regiment, Recce Regiment, 48 Engineer Regiment and Michel Camp could not change the results.

Where are the RPGs that the thief? Has he returned them with the ammunition? I am told he is still keeping them!! What about those either taken by our leader or on his instruction? 

All these are pertinent issues that must be resolved quickly to allay the fears of innocent members of our community. So Mr. President the earlier, the better. I trust you, Sir.

I acknowledge that because the Council of State is yet to be fully constituted, the President may be unwilling to effect the changes especially when Ministers of State, traditional rulers and powerful opinion leaders are being used to plead on their behalf. They may be tolerated but their presence is creating inertia. They are lame ducks wanting to fly. They are still influencing situations such as in the selection of officers and men for essential duties, operations, courses and training. 

Could we not have a similar situation as has happened in the Police Service? Can we not have a repetition of January 2009 when General JB Danquah and the IGP were made to vacate their posts on the same date (28 January 2009 having attended Professor Mills interview) on 26 January 2009 at the Osu Castle? 

In that case, the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral AS Nuno was made to act as the Chief of Defence Staff until Major General PA Blay was appointed on 31^st March 2009 as the substantive Chief of Defence Staff, with Major General R Adinkrah, Rear Admirral M Quashie and Air Vice Marshal M Samson-Oje as Chiefs of Army Staff, Naval Staff and Air Staff respectively. 

Similarly, Brigadier General R Winful was made to pave way for then Commodore GM Biekro as the Chief of Staff. 

Members of our community are anxiously waiting for that day. There would be celebrations by the majority while a few members of the cabal would be sad because the reality of a new order would become evident. Until then, it will be business as usual for these vampires.

Your Excellency, we know that when our leader is leaving, you would apply the principle of seniority in service and rank as you did for the Police Service. In that case, we have no doubt that Major General Obed Boamah Akwa would be the heir apparent. What is however not clear is the replacement for the Chief of Army Staff. What about the Chief of Staff?

We trust your judgment, Sir! But please for Heaven’s sake; do not be concerned about seniority alone. Please give more weight to loyalty, commitment and sacrifice for Ama Ghana and the elephant fraternity. 

Professionalism without loyalty and sacrifice may be suicidal for your effective command and control of the Ghana Armed Forces. 

Beware of hypocrites, bootlickers, pretenders and opportunists, Sir.