A lot of officers and men who fought bravely to
ensure the return of the elephant to “executive power” in Ama Ghana are
harbouring anger and pain over the developments in the Ghana Armed Forces in
recent times.
When rumours were rife that Brigadier General
Francis Vib-Sanziri was to be appointed the Chief of Army Staff, several senior
officers including Generals and Colonels, serving and retired, opposed the idea
vehemently.
Little did they know that the worst form of that
decision was to follow. Some of the senior officers who “hated” General Sanziri
are beginning to revise their notes following the decision by the New Patriotic
Party (NPP) to appoint Naval Commodore Moses Beick-Baffour (GH/2073) as the
Chief of Staff to replace Major General Sampson Kudjo Adeti (GH/2025).
These “Latter Day Saints” are now saying that the
angel you know not cannot be better than the devil you know.
Certainly, Major General SK Adeti is the devil who
is known and appears to be repenting and is eager to do positive business with
the NPP administration.
Between Commodore M Beick-Baffour and Major General
Adeti, the pendulum of the opinion court is apparently in favour of the latter.
Major General SK Adeti has done his worst during the
2016 elections and his position is known.
Commodore M Beick-Baffour has been a thorn in the
flesh of Akans and NPP sympathizers.
Using his appointment as the Military Secretary,
Commodore M Beick-Baffour persecuted a lot of Akan officers including the
Appiah-Agyapongs. He denied several Akan officers their due promotions and
appointments. He assisted the Biekros to truncate the military career of the
Adjaye-Gaisies with concocted pieces of evidence.
He delayed the promotions of some Akan and NPP
sympathetic officers such as those of the Darkwas, Appiah-Kubis, Danquahs and
Aphous while facilitating and precipitating those of the Edjeanis and Dzisis.
He and the Adokpas, Akou-Adjeis, Ametepis, Agbekas and the Adetis decided the
fate of several Akan and non Akan NPP sympathizers.
Commodore M Beick-Baffour had the support of the
Steve Obimpehs and the Flagstaff House to decide on who gets appointments,
promotions or released from the Ghana Armed Forces. It was Commodore
Beick-Baffour who set the agenda with the Adokpas and rest of the Dzelukope
Mafia to persuade Service Commanders to do as they wished.
Consequently, the Opoku Aduseis and Obed Akwas were
just to rubber stamp decisions of Commodore M Beick Baffour and his Mafia.
They decided on which officers would attend which
foreign courses-young officers, Combat Team Commanders, Junior and Senior
Command and Staff, War Colleges and Institutes of Defence Strategic Studies and
civil courses.
That explains why the Akou-Adejeis and Mustaphas are
given courses in the USA and “most preferred countries”-UK, Canada, France,
Nigeria and China.
The criteria for the selection of officers for these
courses were doctored or prepared to favour “themselves” to the detriment of
hardworking, intelligent and professionally upright Akan and non-Akan officers
considered to be sympathetic to the course of NPP.
It is in the light of all these “atrocities” against
the elephant fraternity that Commodore M Beick-Baffour has again dribbled his
way into the forefront of the NPP pretending to be a “born again”. How can such
a wicked hypocrite become a genuine born again NPP sympathizer?
Yet, he has managed to play his cards very well
using the Ewe Caucus in the Bar, Bench and NPP to become acceptable as a
preferred candidate over the Boimahs and Dzamefes to become the Chief of Staff.
He has managed to beat the likes of the Omane Agyekums who have sacrificed and
suffered under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) regimes of yester years
and the recent past.
What concerned NPP sympathizers are asking is this
simple question: “IS IT WORTH DYING FOR THE NPP?”
Most respondents are of the opinion that comparing
what the NDC is always prepared to do for their members and sympathizers and
those of the NPP; the answer is a big NO.
Imagine some of the childish and silly arguments
being used to support the candidature of Commodore Beick-Baffour: that because
Major General SK Adeti is an Ewe (Voltarian) and has been relieved of his
appointment, another Ewe (Voltarian) must take his place.
Secondly, amongst the Ewe (Voltarian) officers who
are mostly NDC sympathizers Commodore Beick-Baffour appears to be a “mild NDC”
sympathizer.
Jesus Christ of Nazareth! If Commodore M
Beick-Baffour’s support for the NDC is considered to be “mild” then I can
imagine what a serious NDC supporter in the officer corps would look like!!
For those who do not know how Commodore
Beick-Baffour operates, he is more dangerous than Major General SK Adeti. At
least Major General SK Adeti is not a hypocrite. Neither is he a pretender.
Right from his Subaltern days (Lieutenant and Captain),
Major General SK Adeti has been consistently a pro PNDC and NDC officer. Major
General Adeti never for once hid his links with the P/NDC. As a matter of fact,
as a young officer, Major General Adeti had the portrait of Jerry Rawlings with
him and openly displayed it in his rooms (at Messes and Married Quarters).
Additionally, Major General Adeti was always ready
to defend Jerry Rawlings and his two coup d’états (4 June 1979 and 31 December
1982).
I may not like Major General SK Adeti because of the
Southern Command pick-up and related issues but as an observer, these are
character traits of honesty, bravery and consistency.
But can the same be said of Commodore M
Beick-Baffour? Big NO.
Commodore Beick-Baffour has always been
opportunistic. He dances to the tune of the political order of the day.
In his young officer days until Lieutenant Commander,
he was always with the PNDC and NDC. He managed to get seconded to the Ghana
Maritime Academy, Fisheries Department, the Ministries and appropriate Institutions
and Agencies where his expertise in the Navy and the Maritime world would be
useful to propel him to prosperity.
During the era of President Kufuor, then Commander
Beick-Baffour managed to use the Gyaasaayars (Justice) and others to get what
he wanted.
Then came the NDC under Presidents Mills and Mahama,
then Captain (GN) and now Commodore Beick-Baffour would use his “anchor” in the
Volta Region and mast in the Biekros and Faidoos to get what he wanted.
Again, under President Nana Addo, Commodore Beick-Baffour
is in the limelight having “washed his hands” well and is set to be appointed
Chief of Staff and promoted Rear Admiral which will catapult him to become the
next Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) after Rear Admiral Faidoo as originally planned
by the Adokpas had the NDC won the 2016 elections.
With the pieces of information on Commodore Beick-Baffuor,
may I proceed to analyze some of the arguments used by the General Okyeres and
their likes to justify their shameless betrayal of the cause of the helpless,
already victimized and uncared for teeming supporters and sympathizers of the
NPP in the barracks.
Firstly, is it not nonsense for the likes of General
Okyere to think that two Akans should not occupy the seats of Chief of Defence
Staff and Chief of Army Staff, where were they when Air Marshal Dumashie was
the Chief of Defence Staff and General BK Akafia was the Army Commander?
These two Generals were not Ewes but were all from
the Anlo area of the Volta Region too.
Again where were they when General Arnold Quainoo
was the Force Commander (combining the functions of Chief of Defence Staff and
Army Commander) after the resignation of Brigadier General Joseph Nunoo-Mensah
as the Chief of Defence Staff and Brigadier General Klutse was the Brigade
Commander of 1 Infantry Bde Gp and effectively the No 2 to Quainoo in spite of
the fact that we had lame duck Navy and Airforce Commanders.
Where were the General Okyeres when the Bosrotsis,
Ntumys, Toppors, Kpetos, Weirs, Agumes, Agbemasus, Attopoes and Lord Attivors
were in charge of all the key positions in the Ghana Armed Forces between 1982
and 1993?
The argument that if the NDC made errors, the NPP
should not follow suit does not wash. They used the executive power to the
advantage of their supporters and sympathizers to the detriment of the Akans
and non-Akans suspected to be NPP sympathizers
.
Because of the Ewe hegemony, first class officers such
as the Twumasis Oti-Prempehs, Ohene Asantes, Ohene Asares, Lemteys, Ayiteys and
Addas were thrown out of the main stream to pave way for Quainoos, Dumashies,
and Akafias.
Surely, the General Okyeres did not see those ones
and are prepared to hurt and humiliate sympathizers of the NPP in the barracks.
Today, the rank and file of the elephant fraternity
have become the laughing stock.
Ardent, vociferous and non- compromising “NDC
soldiers” and supporters in the barracks are the ones who have been selected
for duties at Castle and Jubilee House while the real combatants, warriors who sacrificed
and fought for the elephant to leave the jungle and return to the corridors of
power are still walking and roaming about in the barracks disappointed,
dejected and uncertain about their future.
The soldiers who behaved professionally and
protected the Constitution of Ghana cannot find favour with the Captain Kodas,
Lieutenant Colonel Owusu Ansahs and Colonel Onwonas.
Instead, the drivers, bodyguards and clerks of the
Chief of Staff, Commandants, Director Generals, Directors and Principal Staff
Officers at General Headquarters, Service Headquarters, Command Headquarters,
Bases and Units are the ones now enjoying thanks to the nonsense of a certain
Brigadier General Emmanuel Okyere.
These “parasites” are the ones riding in the Toyota
Landcruiser V8s, V6s, Prados and other enviable vehicles.
Some loyal soldiers of the elephant fraternity are
being victimized. Some of them have been deliberately posted to Bawku, Yendi
and Bimbilla while the “parasites” are now calling the shots.
The distressed faithfuls are crying inside
themselves. Their spouses are worried. Their children are being mocked at.
This can only happen because of the nonsense of a
certain Brigadier General Emmanuel Okyere who as GOC Southern Command made sure
NPP lost to his mother party.
There is anger in the barracks today due to the
nonsense of Brigadier General Emmanuel Okyere.
My sources have indicated that the Armed Forces Council
has met for the first time under the auspices of Vice President Dr. Mahamadu
Bawumia with the following as other members:
MINISTER OF DEFENCE- DOMINIC NITIWUL
MINISTER OF INTERIOR-AMBROSE DERY
MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS- MRS.
SHIRLEY AYORKOR BOTCHWEY
MAJOR GENERAL OB AKWA –CHIEF OF
DEFENCE STAFF
MAJOR GENERAL WA AYAMDO-CHIEF OF
ARMY STAFF
REAR ADMIRAL PK FAIDOO- CHIEF OF
NAVAL STAFF
AIR VICE MARSHAL M NAGAI-CHIEF OF
AIR STAFF
BRIGADIER GENERAL RO SACKEY-MEMBER
COLONEL C ANKOMAH DANSO-MEMBER
FSM-MEMBER
THE CHIEF DIRECTOR AT THE MINISTRY
OF DEFENCE.
The main agenda for the first NPP Armed Forces
Council Meeting were promotion and appointments of officers in the wake of the
elevation of Major Generals OB Akwa and WA WA Ayamdo to the status of Chief of
Defence Staff and Chief of Army Staff respectively.
1. Brigadier General WO Agyekum – Commandant MATS.
2. Brigadier General CKAA Awity – DG PA
3. Brigadier General F Vib Sanziri – DG IPSO
4. Brigadier General M Whajah - MOD (CD) PGSO
5. Brigadier General T Oppong-Peprah- GOC South Comd
6. Brigadier General PN Andoh - DG DI
7. Brigadier General AK Adu- DG IGD
8. Brigadier General INA Aryeetey – R List (Att to GHQ(Camp) for duties with MONUSCO as Western Bde Comd
9. Brigadier General ST Osabutey – R List (Att to GHQ(Camp) for duties with UNMISS as Sector Commander
10. Colonel JP Osei Owusu- A/DG DID
11. Colonel AY Nsiah – A/CSO Army HQ
12. Colonel EA Baidoo- DMP
13. Colonel S Adorkor – LO Army MOD
14. Commodore SW Anim – Naval HQ
15. Commodore M Beick-Baffour – A/COS GHQ COS
