A desertion by an officer of the rank of a Colonel occurred in the Ghana Armed Forces under strange circumstances in the last quarter of the year
2006.
Colonel E Brakatu (GH/2123) was appointed the Director of Strategic Intelligence at the Department of Defence Intelligence at the General Headquarters on 12th September 2006. The senior officer who was until then working at another Department at the General Headquarters failed to report at his new Department but rather absented himself without official leave (AWOL).
It became apparent after 28 days and finally six months that Colonel E Brakatu had in fact deserted from the Ghana Armed Forces.
This blog gathers that when information reached the Military High Command at that time that the senior officer had sought and obtained an appointment with the United Nations and was in the Darfur Region of Sudan, the necessary processes and procedures for declaring a person subject to the Code of Service Discipline as a deserter were followed and Colonel E Brakatu was accordingly released from the GAF for misconduct as a deserter to be apprehended and tried whenever he returns to Ghana.
According to Section 27 of the Armed Forces Act and Article 103.19 of the Armed Forces Regulations (Discipline) “Every person who deserts shall be guilty of an offence and on conviction, if he committed the offence on active service or when under orders for active service, shall be liable to imprisonment for life or to any less punishment provided by this Act, and in any other Case shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or to any less punishment provided by this Act”.
Colonel E Brakatu deserted from the Ghana Armed Forces in 2006 but returned to Ghana a few months ago and in fact, this is his second home coming since he came home last year.
When he returned home last year, this senior officer was spotted walking freely in Burma Camp, at the Castle and at the premises of the Secretariat of the National Security Council chauffeur driven by agents and employees of the Security Agencies in official vehicles with the knowledge and consent of the ‘powers that be’.
According to sources, Colonel EWK Nibo, the out gone Director of Public Relations of the Ghana Armed Forces was aware of the presence of Colonel E Brakatu in Ghana.
Indeed, when Colonel E Brakatu was seen in Burma Camp during the week 14th -18 September 2009, the lens of our sources captured the two senior officers heartily chatting.
It was open secret that an officer of the Ghana Armed Forces aided and abetted and connived at the desertion of Colonel E Brakatu.
This officer was seen parking and carting the property and personnel belongings of Colonel E Brakatu from his official residence to his private home.
Incidentally, this same officer is currently working at the Castle and is believed to be the one who has been providing vehicles and drivers to move the ‘deserter officer’ about freely in the country into and out of security zones with impunity.
This development according to our sources has been of great concern in the Ghana Armed Forces since other service personnel (officers and men) who returned to Ghana after deserting and were seen had been arrested, charged, Court Martialed and given appropriate punishments when found guilty.
There was a famous case in 2008 when an officer in the Ghana Airforce who had deserted returned to Ghana. The officer was Court Martialed and given the appropriate punishment upon conviction. Also, several soldiers have also suffered punishments in similar cases in the past.
It is therefore surprising and scandalous that Colonel E Brakatu is a free man and walking in the corridors of political power.
This blog learnt that Colonel E Brakatu might be walking freely because of his association with those who matters most when it comes to advising the President on security.
Colonel E Brakatu was the ADC to then Force Commander of the Ghana Armed Forces in the 1980s during the PNDC Administration. Thus, Colonel E Brakatu was the ADC to General Arnold Quiainoo for so many years and became a Staff Officer to him as well after being the ADC.
Also, Colonel E Brakatu was the ADC to General Arnold Quiainoo while the current Defence Minister, General Smith, was at various times the Director Military Training and Director Military Operations at the Force Headquarters at Flagstaff House.
Colonel E Brakatu became the Director Army Intelligence and Plans (DAIP) at Army Headquarters when General Smith was the Army Commander and had one of his former deputies as a former ADC to General Smith.
This blog found out that attempts are being made for the Military High Command and the Commander-In-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces; President Mills, to pardon Colonel E Brakatu so that he can really become a free officer cleansed of his sins of desertion to enable him get his pension benefits.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
"We need Dreamers, We need Thinkers and We need Doers"
-Honorable Kennedy Ohene Agyapong for President ?-
Until now, this was the mental picture I had of the Hon. MP,Ken Agyapong: a rich and an arrogant "nut" whom, without his money, would never have been elected to Parliament. I had never met the man and knew nothing about him except a handful of audio sound bites of him on the various media websites and a few news items I had read about him. None of these painted a pretty picture.
One time, he had threatened to fight his District Chief executive. Another time, he had said he would give the extra cash he earned to his girlfriend and not the party after he had taken care of his family. Yet another time, he had called politicians from the Ashanti region as "confusionists",adding that he could also choose to act as such since he possessed that trait; due to the fact he was half Asante who hailed from Manpong. Not long ago, he bought a Rolls Royce as a 50th birthday present which I criticized in private as unbecoming of a public servant, since public servants were supposed to portray a sense of modesty.
To make matters worse, he had recently claimed that he would not campaign for Nana Addo because of the way Alan's men insulted him during the party primaries; that his car tires were worth more than MP's salaries; and that some MP's wore "obroni wawu" suits; not forgeting his constant reminder of how he was indispensable to the party because of the amount of cash he had spent and continues to spend on party cars, offices, campaigns etc.
Anytime I came across his "shenanigans" in the media, it re-enforced my belief that this man was a cancer, a divider, a sore, a disgrace to our party, the parliament and the nation; until now.
As far as the Hon.Ken Agyapong was concerned, I had bought into and fell for the media practice of highlighting and sensationalizing the negatives with sound bites, and out of context quotes and dimming the "boring" positives. Until I came across an in-depth video interview of the Honorable, he was definitely on my Sh*** list.
The NPP UK Youth had posted clips of the Hon. Ken Agyapong's appearance on a local show called "Time with David" on their website and had invited members to view the clip in order to get a different perspective on the Member of Parliament from Assin North in the Central region. As usual, I was expecting another politically incorrect "performance. Boy I was to be disappointed and greatly so. In fact, I could not help but applaud after I had finished watching the interview. It would be unnecessary to reproduce the entire interview of the MP with the host David Ampofo. But I can assure you that it's worth watching and one would come away with whole different idea about Ken Agyapong after viewing (The interview is 40 minutes long and broken down into a four sections; ten minutes per section.)
After viewing I felt I could move Mount. Afadjato to Kumasi, if I so desire. Ladies and Gentlemen,that was how inspirational the man was and is. There was not a single word, sentence, statement or an idea Mr.Agyapong uttered, made or shared that I found disagreeable.
During the interview, Mr. Agyapong was sober, reflective,very statesman-like, very polished and much mature. All the preconceived notions I had formed of the man, with the help of the media sound bites, evaporated. He rekindled a hope in my heart that our country indeed has a bright future as long as men of his caliber existed in our land. I felt that he was the kind of man the county would need at the helm of affairs in the future, if he was groomed.
Folks, the man have vision, the fire, the determination and the gumption to succeed at every venture he undertakes. And I can categorically state that if he were to run for the highest office in the land in the future, he will surely get my vote and it would not bother me at all to live under his presidency.
But the honorable MP has a few kinks to work on. I know politically, he is not mature – being an Mp for only ten years and only fifty years old. He would have to tone down his "rhetoric",especially when speaking in vernacular, avoid non essential interviews, appear on politically mature shows- such as the one I watched-, shun "reactive"interviews, rebrand his image, and surround him self with politically savvy managers and the sky would be the limit.
For ladies and Gentlemen, we have a political superstar, a hidden gem, in our midst. But do not take my word for it. Seek the aforementioned interview and find out for your self.
The Hon. MP for Assin North, Mr. Ken Ohene Agyapong ended the aforesaid interview with this quote: "we need dreamers, we need thinkers and we need doers." And He is indeed a dreamer, a thinker and a doer.
Credit:Akwasi A Afrifa Akoto
Until now, this was the mental picture I had of the Hon. MP,Ken Agyapong: a rich and an arrogant "nut" whom, without his money, would never have been elected to Parliament. I had never met the man and knew nothing about him except a handful of audio sound bites of him on the various media websites and a few news items I had read about him. None of these painted a pretty picture.
One time, he had threatened to fight his District Chief executive. Another time, he had said he would give the extra cash he earned to his girlfriend and not the party after he had taken care of his family. Yet another time, he had called politicians from the Ashanti region as "confusionists",adding that he could also choose to act as such since he possessed that trait; due to the fact he was half Asante who hailed from Manpong. Not long ago, he bought a Rolls Royce as a 50th birthday present which I criticized in private as unbecoming of a public servant, since public servants were supposed to portray a sense of modesty.
To make matters worse, he had recently claimed that he would not campaign for Nana Addo because of the way Alan's men insulted him during the party primaries; that his car tires were worth more than MP's salaries; and that some MP's wore "obroni wawu" suits; not forgeting his constant reminder of how he was indispensable to the party because of the amount of cash he had spent and continues to spend on party cars, offices, campaigns etc.
Anytime I came across his "shenanigans" in the media, it re-enforced my belief that this man was a cancer, a divider, a sore, a disgrace to our party, the parliament and the nation; until now.
As far as the Hon.Ken Agyapong was concerned, I had bought into and fell for the media practice of highlighting and sensationalizing the negatives with sound bites, and out of context quotes and dimming the "boring" positives. Until I came across an in-depth video interview of the Honorable, he was definitely on my Sh*** list.
The NPP UK Youth had posted clips of the Hon. Ken Agyapong's appearance on a local show called "Time with David" on their website and had invited members to view the clip in order to get a different perspective on the Member of Parliament from Assin North in the Central region. As usual, I was expecting another politically incorrect "performance. Boy I was to be disappointed and greatly so. In fact, I could not help but applaud after I had finished watching the interview. It would be unnecessary to reproduce the entire interview of the MP with the host David Ampofo. But I can assure you that it's worth watching and one would come away with whole different idea about Ken Agyapong after viewing (The interview is 40 minutes long and broken down into a four sections; ten minutes per section.)
After viewing I felt I could move Mount. Afadjato to Kumasi, if I so desire. Ladies and Gentlemen,that was how inspirational the man was and is. There was not a single word, sentence, statement or an idea Mr.Agyapong uttered, made or shared that I found disagreeable.
During the interview, Mr. Agyapong was sober, reflective,very statesman-like, very polished and much mature. All the preconceived notions I had formed of the man, with the help of the media sound bites, evaporated. He rekindled a hope in my heart that our country indeed has a bright future as long as men of his caliber existed in our land. I felt that he was the kind of man the county would need at the helm of affairs in the future, if he was groomed.
Folks, the man have vision, the fire, the determination and the gumption to succeed at every venture he undertakes. And I can categorically state that if he were to run for the highest office in the land in the future, he will surely get my vote and it would not bother me at all to live under his presidency.
But the honorable MP has a few kinks to work on. I know politically, he is not mature – being an Mp for only ten years and only fifty years old. He would have to tone down his "rhetoric",especially when speaking in vernacular, avoid non essential interviews, appear on politically mature shows- such as the one I watched-, shun "reactive"interviews, rebrand his image, and surround him self with politically savvy managers and the sky would be the limit.
For ladies and Gentlemen, we have a political superstar, a hidden gem, in our midst. But do not take my word for it. Seek the aforementioned interview and find out for your self.
The Hon. MP for Assin North, Mr. Ken Ohene Agyapong ended the aforesaid interview with this quote: "we need dreamers, we need thinkers and we need doers." And He is indeed a dreamer, a thinker and a doer.
Credit:Akwasi A Afrifa Akoto
Thursday, August 19, 2010
What Went WRONG? Prof Mills!
My beloved countrymen, I stand before you today with joy and with all humility to thank you for making me the President of this Great Nation of ours. If I am your President today, it is not by my works or anything, but by God’s own Mighty Power and Grace.
I again thank you for heeding the urgency call that I made to you in voting the NDC back to power. I declare to you today that it’s a new day. Yes, this is a new era and the change that Ghanaians need has come. Before I proceed further, I want to assure you that the trust that you have reposed in me and the NDC party would never be betrayed.
Ghana today stands at a crossroad. The country faces so many challenges that cannot be overcome overnight. But with dedication, support, accountability and the will of the indomitable Ghanaians we shall overcome most of the hurdles.
Touching on the challenges facing our country brings to mind the current global economic meltdown that has affected all countries. Every country is belt tightening, and even top-notch world analysts are not able to better predict the Economic Outlook for the next two years. It is not going to be easy for my administration in the next two years, therefore, I expect my fellow Ghanaians to tone down on their high expectations. But I promise you that once the global economic situation turns around; my government would do all it can to deliver on its promises.
One key area that is dear to my heart is the high unemployment rate. We would not abandon some of the programs that the past administration put in place to resolve the issue. But we would review them, make changes and build upon it so that we would reduce the high incidence of the youth who turn out of our schools every year but do not have work to do.
The development of every country depends out how well it develops its youth. The major streets of all our big cities are littered with dog chain, nkatse cake and plantain chip sellers. These are kids who we consider as part of our future leaders of the country. Therefore, if we fail to put them back to the classrooms to educate them, we would be leaving a bad legacy for the country. I would therefore, put in place a program to train these kids to acquire employable skills that would not only help them, but also help them to play an integral part in the economic development of the country.
I love Ghana just as everybody does. I feel the pains of people when they loose their daily livelihood. I am therefore assuring Ghanaians that I would not be vindictive. You did not vote me as President to do witch hunting. I am prepared to work with all those who can contribute their quota towards national development no matter your party affiliation or differences. That is why I have stated that I will consult both former presidents to advice. Wisdom to me is not embedded in one person; therefore, consulting them does not mean I do not know my way ahead. I believe in censuses building for the betterment of the country.
I now move on to the uneasy tension in the country today. First of all I must tell you that we all love Ghana. The NPP loves Ghana. The NDC also loves Ghana. The other parties do not love Ghana less. We all aspire for the greatness and the betterment of the country. Where we digress is how to get things done in the country. Therefore, the NPP people should not see themselves as our enemies. They are our friends in opposition and together we can build a strong Ghana.
I wish to throw an invitation to the NPP to support my administration to rebuild our economy. If Ghana wins, we all win. Likewise if it fails, we all fail. Since we do not have any honeymoon period, I will move to institute a policy whereby we would tap the skills of some NPP people. The days whereby it’s a winner-takes-all is over.
God being so good, the country is set to tap into its huge oil reserve. This is not only Good News to Ghanaians in general but Good News to the people of the West Cape Three Points. A committee that I would put in place to manage the execution and distribution of the oil goodies would not abandon the people in that area. In fact we would provide all the basic amenities like hospitals, roads, schools and good drinking water to show our appreciation for the people in that area. The committee would also ensure that monies allocated out of the oil goodies for developmental projects throughout the country are initiated, executed and measured as a way of building public trust in government.
I want to assure Ghanaians that we would honour our international obligations by paying down on our national debt. But any agreements that have been signed that do not favour Ghana would be reviewed to cater the interest of Ghana. This is not to say we are going to chase out investors.. We would rather put in place additional measures to make Ghana more investor friendly. To this end the focus of the Ministries of Tourism and Trade and Industry would be geared towards that direction.
Key workers who play critical roles in sustaining the economy would not be abandoned. Talk about doctors, health workers, teachers, farmers, blue-collar workers, fishermen, drivers and market women among others. I will role out a program that would better their needs in the course of my administration. I promise them that, I would not abandon them.
In conclusion, I would once again thank Ghanaians for getting me this far. And I promise you that I would not let you down. Times are hard, therefore, this is the time for us to pull together and rebuild this country. This country is ours. We must do all within our power to move this country forward. And with the help of God we shall get there. I love you all and may the Lord Richly Bless us with wisdom as we work together as a team to move this country forward.
This is what our President, John Evans Atta Mills read out to Ghanaians on Wednesday, 07 January 2009.
I again thank you for heeding the urgency call that I made to you in voting the NDC back to power. I declare to you today that it’s a new day. Yes, this is a new era and the change that Ghanaians need has come. Before I proceed further, I want to assure you that the trust that you have reposed in me and the NDC party would never be betrayed.
Ghana today stands at a crossroad. The country faces so many challenges that cannot be overcome overnight. But with dedication, support, accountability and the will of the indomitable Ghanaians we shall overcome most of the hurdles.
Touching on the challenges facing our country brings to mind the current global economic meltdown that has affected all countries. Every country is belt tightening, and even top-notch world analysts are not able to better predict the Economic Outlook for the next two years. It is not going to be easy for my administration in the next two years, therefore, I expect my fellow Ghanaians to tone down on their high expectations. But I promise you that once the global economic situation turns around; my government would do all it can to deliver on its promises.
One key area that is dear to my heart is the high unemployment rate. We would not abandon some of the programs that the past administration put in place to resolve the issue. But we would review them, make changes and build upon it so that we would reduce the high incidence of the youth who turn out of our schools every year but do not have work to do.
The development of every country depends out how well it develops its youth. The major streets of all our big cities are littered with dog chain, nkatse cake and plantain chip sellers. These are kids who we consider as part of our future leaders of the country. Therefore, if we fail to put them back to the classrooms to educate them, we would be leaving a bad legacy for the country. I would therefore, put in place a program to train these kids to acquire employable skills that would not only help them, but also help them to play an integral part in the economic development of the country.
I love Ghana just as everybody does. I feel the pains of people when they loose their daily livelihood. I am therefore assuring Ghanaians that I would not be vindictive. You did not vote me as President to do witch hunting. I am prepared to work with all those who can contribute their quota towards national development no matter your party affiliation or differences. That is why I have stated that I will consult both former presidents to advice. Wisdom to me is not embedded in one person; therefore, consulting them does not mean I do not know my way ahead. I believe in censuses building for the betterment of the country.
I now move on to the uneasy tension in the country today. First of all I must tell you that we all love Ghana. The NPP loves Ghana. The NDC also loves Ghana. The other parties do not love Ghana less. We all aspire for the greatness and the betterment of the country. Where we digress is how to get things done in the country. Therefore, the NPP people should not see themselves as our enemies. They are our friends in opposition and together we can build a strong Ghana.
I wish to throw an invitation to the NPP to support my administration to rebuild our economy. If Ghana wins, we all win. Likewise if it fails, we all fail. Since we do not have any honeymoon period, I will move to institute a policy whereby we would tap the skills of some NPP people. The days whereby it’s a winner-takes-all is over.
God being so good, the country is set to tap into its huge oil reserve. This is not only Good News to Ghanaians in general but Good News to the people of the West Cape Three Points. A committee that I would put in place to manage the execution and distribution of the oil goodies would not abandon the people in that area. In fact we would provide all the basic amenities like hospitals, roads, schools and good drinking water to show our appreciation for the people in that area. The committee would also ensure that monies allocated out of the oil goodies for developmental projects throughout the country are initiated, executed and measured as a way of building public trust in government.
I want to assure Ghanaians that we would honour our international obligations by paying down on our national debt. But any agreements that have been signed that do not favour Ghana would be reviewed to cater the interest of Ghana. This is not to say we are going to chase out investors.. We would rather put in place additional measures to make Ghana more investor friendly. To this end the focus of the Ministries of Tourism and Trade and Industry would be geared towards that direction.
Key workers who play critical roles in sustaining the economy would not be abandoned. Talk about doctors, health workers, teachers, farmers, blue-collar workers, fishermen, drivers and market women among others. I will role out a program that would better their needs in the course of my administration. I promise them that, I would not abandon them.
In conclusion, I would once again thank Ghanaians for getting me this far. And I promise you that I would not let you down. Times are hard, therefore, this is the time for us to pull together and rebuild this country. This country is ours. We must do all within our power to move this country forward. And with the help of God we shall get there. I love you all and may the Lord Richly Bless us with wisdom as we work together as a team to move this country forward.
This is what our President, John Evans Atta Mills read out to Ghanaians on Wednesday, 07 January 2009.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
KOKOFU APPOINTMENTS AND PROMOTIONS IN THE MILITARY!
It is so sad that some individuals in and outside the GAF are not seeing the current policy of “kokofu appointments and promotions” by the NDC government as politically and ethnically motivated but are rather worried about the fact that the situation is being brought to the knowledge of all well meaning Ghanaians. One would have thought that these people would use their “connections” and “contacts” to advise the government and the Military High Command to be nationalistic and not divisive. Perhaps, a cue could be taken from the wise and matured counsel of Brigadier General Wallace Gbedemah who wanted the Armed Forces to be united irrespective of regional, ethnic or tribal roots of individuals.
Unfortunately, when you have the Chairman of the Council of State, the highest advisory body of the President and Commander-In-Chief, being tribalistic and seeing himself as an Ewe first before his Ghanaian citizenship and confidently publishes it in his book, then we have serious problems on our hands. How can a person who is so tribalistic that his Ewe tribe must count first before his national identity give any advice on appointments and promotions in a fair, just and equitable manner?
So many commentators who tried to respond to the issue of politics and ethnicity in the GAF of today begged the question and subtly dodged the issues.
Is it not a fact supported by the names, ranks and figures from the regions of the persons receiving appointments and promotions since 7th January 2009 that the Volta Region, the Northern Regions and Greater Accra in a descending order have been given the lion’s share in the GAF?
Indeed, the same thing has happened at the national front right from the Cabinet through the Security Services and the financial sector to other governmental or rather state institutions. Any objective person should check the Cabinet of today and determine the regions of the various Ministers and especially those in charge of sensitive and vital Ministries as former President JJ Rawlings once remarked.
Is it not strange that as we speak there is not a single Cabinet Minister from the Western Region, which to all intents and purposes, is the leading revenue generator in Ghana today? Not even an observation and reminder by Honourable Papa Owusu Ankamah, MP for Sekondi, could touch the heart of President JEA Mills to appoint someone from the Western Region to his Cabinet. As for the argument that Mr Kwesi Ahwoi is from the Western Region, the least said about it the better as the President is a lawyer and knows his customary law very well.
When these unfortunate developments are rife in the society, some individuals are not worried about rectifying them but are rather calling those drawing the attention of the government and those in authority names and even demanding their arrest by the National Security. It is better to jaw-jaw than to go to war as they are trying to link some of the comments to situations in Rwanda, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Those persons have forgotten that it is injustice, unfairness, inequitable distribution of resources and imprudent desire of minorities to dominate the majority that have often resulted in those unfortunate conflicts. Throughout history each time that a minority group or minority groups have forced to rule over the majority and have denied the latter their fair share of resources, development and empowerment, the consequences have been catastrophic. It is therefore in the interest of all well-meaning and responsible Ghanaians to eschew politics and ethnic considerations in matters of national interest. Once people are given appointments and promotions based on merit, professionalism, national cohesion and integration there would be harmony, peace, unity of effort and purpose. Where an NDC sympathetic paper publishes that all NPP sympathisers in the GAF should be released and dismissed then there is a real problem especially when thereafter so many Akan officers from only three regions (i.e. Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Eastern) are systematically released or removed from their appointments and are always replaced by those from the Volta and Northern Regions.
It is an obvious fact that appointments and promotions are based on vacancies. One therefore expects that there should be an existing vacancy or a new one must be created before appointments and promotions can be made. Once the vacancy has been found then considerations such as seniority in rank, competence, merit, performance, professional development and in some cases seniority in service are invoked. In most cases seniority in rank takes precedence over seniority in service. Consequently, if one is considering seniority it is relative to time and not perpetual or in perpetuity. It follows, therefore, that if two officers were originally mates and one gets promotion before the other owing to limited vacancies, then, the one who gets earlier promotion becomes senior at that point in time. Current situations worthy of note are that of
Chief of Army Staff - Major General JN Adinkrah. His mates were Brigadier Generals Dan Frimpong, JK Nkrumah and GK Adjei who were not promoted and Rear Admirals MM Tahiru and M Quarshie and Major General CS Modey. Can any rational and reasonable person in or outside the military say that these officers of Major General and equivalent and Brigadier Generals rank the same? (i.e. of the same seniority in rank). Certainly, the answer is NO. What about their mates such as Brigadier Generals Okyere and Debrah who have been retired on political and ethnic grounds?
Are these people aware that Brigadier Generals Okyere, Frimpong, Modey and Debrah were promoted Colonel on 8th February 1999 before Major General Adinkrah was promoted Colonel on 5th January 2000? And yet today, Major General Adinkrah is a Major General with only Major General CS Modey. Again Brigadier General Winful was promoted Colonel on 8th February 1999 and yet Major General Adinkrah who was promoted Colonel on 5th January 2000 was promoted Brigadier General on 7th October 2003 before Brigadier General Winful was promoted on 23rd August 2004.
It is also pertinent to mention that Colonels K Damoah, JF Manu, EL Lawson, Group Captains GS Evans, AK Boateng and NFK Dzokoto were all promoted Lieutenant Colonels and equivalent on 21st December 2000 under Ex President Rawlings before they were all promoted Colonel and Group Captain on 8th August 2007 under Ex President Kufuor. Yet, when comments were passed, emphasis was placed on Colonel Damoah in isolation leaving out the rest. Moreover, all these officers were in appointments meriting promotion to the ranks of Colonel and Group Captain (i.e. existence of vacancies) before their promotion.
These officers who were recently promoted Colonels and were made in juxtaposition to only Colonel Damoah were promoted Lieutenant Colonel on 25th March 2003. Wherein lies the logic of their seniority over Colonel Damoah?
If one were to consider all the promotions and appointments under President Kufuor, one would realise that they were made devoid of politics and ethnicity. Those making the allegations respect General SK Obeng very much but always want to vilify General JB Danquah. If they care, they would realise that on 25th March 2003, General SK Obeng was the Chief of Defence Staff with General Yaache as the Army Commander. There is no doubt that General Obeng, just as General JB Danquah, ensured balanced and meritorious appointments and promotions. They ensured that senior officers were not released on the whims and caprices of politicians but in accordance with the rules and regulations and with a human face. An analysis of appointments and promotions from the time of General Obeng to General JB Danquah up to even 6th January 2009 would reveal that the two Generals did a lot for the GAF as a whole, and the officer corps in particular and deserve commendation. So many officers from the Volta region and the Northern regions had more than their fair share of appointments and promotions under General JB Danquah in particular meriting gratitude from him rather than the current “hate campaign” being waged against him. It is an undeniable fact that General Danquah did not bulge to pressure from Akan officers for appointments and promotions to their chagrin.
As a result, a lot of Akan officers were and are not sympathetic to him at all. Thus, in his bid to build a coherent, cohesive and harmonious military institution, General Danquah ended up not satisfying any group, rather sadly, but remains a real epitome of fairness, justice and equity. The appointment of the staff at his office (Military Assistant, ADC, drivers, bodyguards, clerks etc) Director–Generals and Directors all vindicate his position.
It may be prudent to start the appointments and promotions of officers under the NPP Administration from General Obeng’s tenure as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). When Gen Obeng took over from Gen BK Akafia as CDS on 22nd March 2001, there had been promotions and appointments by the Rawlings regime on 21st December 2000. Remarkable among those were the promotion of Rear Admirals JY Adoko and J Gbenah and Major General NC Coleman. These very senior officers were all retained in the Service. Rear Admiral Gbenah (VR) became the Navy Commander while Rear Admiral JY Adoko (CR) and Major General Coleman (GT Accra) became Commandants MATS and GAFCSC respectively.
Major General CB Yaache (UWR) became the Army Commander while Air Vice Marshal EA Mantey (ER) became the Airforce Commander. Brig Gen FK Mensah-Yawson (CR) had the appointment of Chief of Staff while Colonel CH Mankattah (GT Accra) became the Commandant of KAIPTC. The beauty of these appointments and the fact that most of them had their penultimate and last promotions in 2000 under former President Rawlings is highly commendable.
Additionally, some of these officers who were Brigadiers and equivalent were given diplomatic duties. Among them were Brigadier Generals HWK Agbeve (VR) - DA UK, RK Agbemasu (VR) – DA Nigeria and WK Amanie (VR) – DA Egypt. Brigadier General Lord-Attivor (VR) became Deputy Commandant GAFCSC and Brigadier DCK Kattah (VR) was given a UN appointment with UNIFIL as Deputy Force Commander and was Ghana’s Contingent Commander. A few others who were mostly above 60 years and had been seconded to other national institutions such as Prisons, Fire Service, State Protocol and National Sports Council were eventually retired honourably. Those affected were from all parts (regions) of Ghana.
All objective persons should contrast these appointments and promotions under President Kufuor in 2001 with those under President JEA Mills in 2009. The alacrity with which Akan officers who were either given appointments or appointments and promotions on 6th January 2009 (equivalent of promotions and appointments on 21st December 2000) were denied their positions and those in existing positions were chased out and released on 12th May 2009 are food for thought. While Gen Obeng stood his grounds and advised appropriately, the same cannot be said of the current Military High Command.
Another phenomenon worthy of mention is the appointment of ADC to President, Security Coordinator at Castle and for the President and other Military appointments at the Castle. Under Gen SK Obeng, the incumbent ADC and Security Coordinator remained at Post until after July 2001 when the Military High Command did shortlisting and interview to select replacements. As a result, then Commander and now Naval Captain Eshun remained the ADC to President from 7th January until 2002 when he finally left Castle and was appointed Director Naval Intelligence at Naval Headquarters in Burma Camp. Compare this to the situation in January 2009. By the time that the Tain results of the re-run presidential election were declared, two groups of self-appointed ADCs and security coordinators were at Castle chasing out the incumbent officers without the consent and concurrence of the Military High Command. It was only Gen SA Odotei who knew about those appointments and had given his tacit approval without the knowledge of his colleagues and superior.
The real show of power à la NDC started from 8th January 2009 when then Major Tanye Kulono was promoted Lieutenant Colonel without following the due process because he was at Castle. This was followed the same day by the cancellation of the promotions and appointments on 6th January 2009. Luckily, Gen JB Danquah stood his grounds and on 16th January 2009, the promotions were maintained but the appointments revoked to pave the way for the mother of all “kokofu appointments and promotions” on 12th May 2009. On that day all the Akan officers originally on the diplomatic duties list were dropped leaving those from the Volta Region, Greater Accra and the Northern Regions and new persons were appointed from the Volta Region, Northern Region and Central Region to replace them.
Before the 12th May 2009, MS Publication, there had been a systematic piecemeal replacement of officers in command considered to be Pro-NPP. Notable among them were Lt Col A Serebour, Lt Col JK Aphour and Lt Col EW Kotiah. The replacement continued with changes at 3rd Battalion and 5th Battalion to end the year. In 2010, the process of replacing Akan officers in command with officers from the Volta Region has continued as reflected in the earlier publications.
How can it be that all the strategic units and positions in the GAF today are either commanded or are to be commanded by officers from the Volta Region and in a few cases the three Northern Regions? The systematic attrition of Akan officers and their being denied sensitive appointments and promotions are of concern and need rectification to reduce the tension, apathy, melancholy, stress, demoralization, lack of motivation, harassment, intimidation and divide and rule that currently exist in the GAF.
We should not play “the ostrich game” while disaffection, low morale and animal farm situations are prevailing in our military institution. There is an alleged tension brewing between officers from the Volta Region and the three Northern Regions. Some officers from the Volta Region who were expecting to be promoted and given certain appointments and did not have them are alleged to be blaming the Vice President. These officers are alleging that the Vice President is using his position as the Chairman of the Armed Forces Council to help “Northerners” to the detriment of those from the Volta Region. They have cited the appointment of Colonel Attintande as Director Public Relations instead of Lt Col Dzotefe-Mensah (VR) (forgetting that Lt Col CB Ankomah-Danso has also been by-passed), the appointment of Col SMKAE Aryeh (VR) to replace Col Ba-Ta-Banah (UER) as Director Manpower Planning and appointment and promotion of Group Captain EK Boateng (VR) as Director General (Logistics) in place of Air Commodore Dery (UWR).
In subsequent series all appointments from Colonel upwards since January 2001 would be analysed for all to see.
Unfortunately, when you have the Chairman of the Council of State, the highest advisory body of the President and Commander-In-Chief, being tribalistic and seeing himself as an Ewe first before his Ghanaian citizenship and confidently publishes it in his book, then we have serious problems on our hands. How can a person who is so tribalistic that his Ewe tribe must count first before his national identity give any advice on appointments and promotions in a fair, just and equitable manner?
So many commentators who tried to respond to the issue of politics and ethnicity in the GAF of today begged the question and subtly dodged the issues.
Is it not a fact supported by the names, ranks and figures from the regions of the persons receiving appointments and promotions since 7th January 2009 that the Volta Region, the Northern Regions and Greater Accra in a descending order have been given the lion’s share in the GAF?
Indeed, the same thing has happened at the national front right from the Cabinet through the Security Services and the financial sector to other governmental or rather state institutions. Any objective person should check the Cabinet of today and determine the regions of the various Ministers and especially those in charge of sensitive and vital Ministries as former President JJ Rawlings once remarked.
Is it not strange that as we speak there is not a single Cabinet Minister from the Western Region, which to all intents and purposes, is the leading revenue generator in Ghana today? Not even an observation and reminder by Honourable Papa Owusu Ankamah, MP for Sekondi, could touch the heart of President JEA Mills to appoint someone from the Western Region to his Cabinet. As for the argument that Mr Kwesi Ahwoi is from the Western Region, the least said about it the better as the President is a lawyer and knows his customary law very well.
When these unfortunate developments are rife in the society, some individuals are not worried about rectifying them but are rather calling those drawing the attention of the government and those in authority names and even demanding their arrest by the National Security. It is better to jaw-jaw than to go to war as they are trying to link some of the comments to situations in Rwanda, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Those persons have forgotten that it is injustice, unfairness, inequitable distribution of resources and imprudent desire of minorities to dominate the majority that have often resulted in those unfortunate conflicts. Throughout history each time that a minority group or minority groups have forced to rule over the majority and have denied the latter their fair share of resources, development and empowerment, the consequences have been catastrophic. It is therefore in the interest of all well-meaning and responsible Ghanaians to eschew politics and ethnic considerations in matters of national interest. Once people are given appointments and promotions based on merit, professionalism, national cohesion and integration there would be harmony, peace, unity of effort and purpose. Where an NDC sympathetic paper publishes that all NPP sympathisers in the GAF should be released and dismissed then there is a real problem especially when thereafter so many Akan officers from only three regions (i.e. Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Eastern) are systematically released or removed from their appointments and are always replaced by those from the Volta and Northern Regions.
It is an obvious fact that appointments and promotions are based on vacancies. One therefore expects that there should be an existing vacancy or a new one must be created before appointments and promotions can be made. Once the vacancy has been found then considerations such as seniority in rank, competence, merit, performance, professional development and in some cases seniority in service are invoked. In most cases seniority in rank takes precedence over seniority in service. Consequently, if one is considering seniority it is relative to time and not perpetual or in perpetuity. It follows, therefore, that if two officers were originally mates and one gets promotion before the other owing to limited vacancies, then, the one who gets earlier promotion becomes senior at that point in time. Current situations worthy of note are that of
Chief of Army Staff - Major General JN Adinkrah. His mates were Brigadier Generals Dan Frimpong, JK Nkrumah and GK Adjei who were not promoted and Rear Admirals MM Tahiru and M Quarshie and Major General CS Modey. Can any rational and reasonable person in or outside the military say that these officers of Major General and equivalent and Brigadier Generals rank the same? (i.e. of the same seniority in rank). Certainly, the answer is NO. What about their mates such as Brigadier Generals Okyere and Debrah who have been retired on political and ethnic grounds?
Are these people aware that Brigadier Generals Okyere, Frimpong, Modey and Debrah were promoted Colonel on 8th February 1999 before Major General Adinkrah was promoted Colonel on 5th January 2000? And yet today, Major General Adinkrah is a Major General with only Major General CS Modey. Again Brigadier General Winful was promoted Colonel on 8th February 1999 and yet Major General Adinkrah who was promoted Colonel on 5th January 2000 was promoted Brigadier General on 7th October 2003 before Brigadier General Winful was promoted on 23rd August 2004.
It is also pertinent to mention that Colonels K Damoah, JF Manu, EL Lawson, Group Captains GS Evans, AK Boateng and NFK Dzokoto were all promoted Lieutenant Colonels and equivalent on 21st December 2000 under Ex President Rawlings before they were all promoted Colonel and Group Captain on 8th August 2007 under Ex President Kufuor. Yet, when comments were passed, emphasis was placed on Colonel Damoah in isolation leaving out the rest. Moreover, all these officers were in appointments meriting promotion to the ranks of Colonel and Group Captain (i.e. existence of vacancies) before their promotion.
These officers who were recently promoted Colonels and were made in juxtaposition to only Colonel Damoah were promoted Lieutenant Colonel on 25th March 2003. Wherein lies the logic of their seniority over Colonel Damoah?
If one were to consider all the promotions and appointments under President Kufuor, one would realise that they were made devoid of politics and ethnicity. Those making the allegations respect General SK Obeng very much but always want to vilify General JB Danquah. If they care, they would realise that on 25th March 2003, General SK Obeng was the Chief of Defence Staff with General Yaache as the Army Commander. There is no doubt that General Obeng, just as General JB Danquah, ensured balanced and meritorious appointments and promotions. They ensured that senior officers were not released on the whims and caprices of politicians but in accordance with the rules and regulations and with a human face. An analysis of appointments and promotions from the time of General Obeng to General JB Danquah up to even 6th January 2009 would reveal that the two Generals did a lot for the GAF as a whole, and the officer corps in particular and deserve commendation. So many officers from the Volta region and the Northern regions had more than their fair share of appointments and promotions under General JB Danquah in particular meriting gratitude from him rather than the current “hate campaign” being waged against him. It is an undeniable fact that General Danquah did not bulge to pressure from Akan officers for appointments and promotions to their chagrin.
As a result, a lot of Akan officers were and are not sympathetic to him at all. Thus, in his bid to build a coherent, cohesive and harmonious military institution, General Danquah ended up not satisfying any group, rather sadly, but remains a real epitome of fairness, justice and equity. The appointment of the staff at his office (Military Assistant, ADC, drivers, bodyguards, clerks etc) Director–Generals and Directors all vindicate his position.
It may be prudent to start the appointments and promotions of officers under the NPP Administration from General Obeng’s tenure as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). When Gen Obeng took over from Gen BK Akafia as CDS on 22nd March 2001, there had been promotions and appointments by the Rawlings regime on 21st December 2000. Remarkable among those were the promotion of Rear Admirals JY Adoko and J Gbenah and Major General NC Coleman. These very senior officers were all retained in the Service. Rear Admiral Gbenah (VR) became the Navy Commander while Rear Admiral JY Adoko (CR) and Major General Coleman (GT Accra) became Commandants MATS and GAFCSC respectively.
Major General CB Yaache (UWR) became the Army Commander while Air Vice Marshal EA Mantey (ER) became the Airforce Commander. Brig Gen FK Mensah-Yawson (CR) had the appointment of Chief of Staff while Colonel CH Mankattah (GT Accra) became the Commandant of KAIPTC. The beauty of these appointments and the fact that most of them had their penultimate and last promotions in 2000 under former President Rawlings is highly commendable.
Additionally, some of these officers who were Brigadiers and equivalent were given diplomatic duties. Among them were Brigadier Generals HWK Agbeve (VR) - DA UK, RK Agbemasu (VR) – DA Nigeria and WK Amanie (VR) – DA Egypt. Brigadier General Lord-Attivor (VR) became Deputy Commandant GAFCSC and Brigadier DCK Kattah (VR) was given a UN appointment with UNIFIL as Deputy Force Commander and was Ghana’s Contingent Commander. A few others who were mostly above 60 years and had been seconded to other national institutions such as Prisons, Fire Service, State Protocol and National Sports Council were eventually retired honourably. Those affected were from all parts (regions) of Ghana.
All objective persons should contrast these appointments and promotions under President Kufuor in 2001 with those under President JEA Mills in 2009. The alacrity with which Akan officers who were either given appointments or appointments and promotions on 6th January 2009 (equivalent of promotions and appointments on 21st December 2000) were denied their positions and those in existing positions were chased out and released on 12th May 2009 are food for thought. While Gen Obeng stood his grounds and advised appropriately, the same cannot be said of the current Military High Command.
Another phenomenon worthy of mention is the appointment of ADC to President, Security Coordinator at Castle and for the President and other Military appointments at the Castle. Under Gen SK Obeng, the incumbent ADC and Security Coordinator remained at Post until after July 2001 when the Military High Command did shortlisting and interview to select replacements. As a result, then Commander and now Naval Captain Eshun remained the ADC to President from 7th January until 2002 when he finally left Castle and was appointed Director Naval Intelligence at Naval Headquarters in Burma Camp. Compare this to the situation in January 2009. By the time that the Tain results of the re-run presidential election were declared, two groups of self-appointed ADCs and security coordinators were at Castle chasing out the incumbent officers without the consent and concurrence of the Military High Command. It was only Gen SA Odotei who knew about those appointments and had given his tacit approval without the knowledge of his colleagues and superior.
The real show of power à la NDC started from 8th January 2009 when then Major Tanye Kulono was promoted Lieutenant Colonel without following the due process because he was at Castle. This was followed the same day by the cancellation of the promotions and appointments on 6th January 2009. Luckily, Gen JB Danquah stood his grounds and on 16th January 2009, the promotions were maintained but the appointments revoked to pave the way for the mother of all “kokofu appointments and promotions” on 12th May 2009. On that day all the Akan officers originally on the diplomatic duties list were dropped leaving those from the Volta Region, Greater Accra and the Northern Regions and new persons were appointed from the Volta Region, Northern Region and Central Region to replace them.
Before the 12th May 2009, MS Publication, there had been a systematic piecemeal replacement of officers in command considered to be Pro-NPP. Notable among them were Lt Col A Serebour, Lt Col JK Aphour and Lt Col EW Kotiah. The replacement continued with changes at 3rd Battalion and 5th Battalion to end the year. In 2010, the process of replacing Akan officers in command with officers from the Volta Region has continued as reflected in the earlier publications.
How can it be that all the strategic units and positions in the GAF today are either commanded or are to be commanded by officers from the Volta Region and in a few cases the three Northern Regions? The systematic attrition of Akan officers and their being denied sensitive appointments and promotions are of concern and need rectification to reduce the tension, apathy, melancholy, stress, demoralization, lack of motivation, harassment, intimidation and divide and rule that currently exist in the GAF.
We should not play “the ostrich game” while disaffection, low morale and animal farm situations are prevailing in our military institution. There is an alleged tension brewing between officers from the Volta Region and the three Northern Regions. Some officers from the Volta Region who were expecting to be promoted and given certain appointments and did not have them are alleged to be blaming the Vice President. These officers are alleging that the Vice President is using his position as the Chairman of the Armed Forces Council to help “Northerners” to the detriment of those from the Volta Region. They have cited the appointment of Colonel Attintande as Director Public Relations instead of Lt Col Dzotefe-Mensah (VR) (forgetting that Lt Col CB Ankomah-Danso has also been by-passed), the appointment of Col SMKAE Aryeh (VR) to replace Col Ba-Ta-Banah (UER) as Director Manpower Planning and appointment and promotion of Group Captain EK Boateng (VR) as Director General (Logistics) in place of Air Commodore Dery (UWR).
In subsequent series all appointments from Colonel upwards since January 2001 would be analysed for all to see.
Politics And Ethniciity In The Military
– GENERAL NUNOO-MENSAH’S HYPOCRISY (Part 2)
It is obvious from the three categories that only the three non-Akans from the Greater Accra, Northern and Volta Regions (all strongholds of the NDC) were retained on the list approved by the NPP Administration. Secondly, all the officers from Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Eastern Regions (strong holds of NPP) were deleted. Thirdly, all the replacements were Ewes, Fantis and Northerners whose regions voted massively for NDC in 2008. With these facts and revelations, General Nunoo-Mensah’s hypocrisy is exposed as far as politics and ethnicity in the Ghana Armed Forces under President Mills are concerned.
What would General Nunoo-Mensah say about the piecemeal and surreptitious manner in which all Akan and officers perceived to be NPP sympathizers especially those from the same three regions are being removed from command one after the other. For instance, Lt Col EW Kotiah and Lt Col JA Aphour commanding officers of 66 Artillery Regiment and 6th Battalion respectively were removed with alacrity from command in very unprofessional ways. Similarly, Lt Col A Serebour was dramatically replaced with Lt Col AK Dzisi (an Ewe) in March 2009.
Additionally and more importantly, all the Akan commanding officers of the Infantry Battalions are being removed from command one after the other using identical “communist inferior tactics” (CIT). For the avoidance of any doubts here is the list of those affected and those in command now.
1. 3rd Battalion of Infantry (Sunyani) - Lt Col MA Amoah (ER) replaced by Lt Col CK Lithur (Ewe)
2. 4th Battalion of Infantry (Kumasi) - taken over by Major SWK Parbey (Ewe) after death of Lt Col Amponsem-Boateng (Ashanti)
3. 5th Battalion of Infantry (Burma Camp) - Lt Col AY Nsiah (Ashanti) replaced by Lt Col LK Gbetanu (Ewe)
4. 2nd Battalion of Infantry (Takoradi) - retained by Lt Col AK Dawohoso (Ewe) appointed by NPP Administration
5. Defence Signal Regiment (Burma Camp) - Lt Col M Essien (WR) replaced by Lt Col A Ntem (Ewe)
6. Base Ordinance Depot - Lt Col ET Darquah (ER) replaced by Major SDK Gbezeh (Ewe)
7. Defence Mechanical Transport Battalion - Lt Col GY Adjei (BAR) replaced by Lt Col S Gagakuma (Ewe)
If these appointments are added to others such as Recce Regiment which is commanded by Lt Col JK Akou-Adjei (Volta Region) who was appointed by the NPP Administration, then the hypocrisy of General Nunoo-Mensah becomes more and more evident.
Has General Nunoo-Mensah thought about the atrocities, harassment, victimization, embarrassment and frustration being meted to Akan officers especially those from the three “notorious” regions? For example, why would Brigadier General JK Klobodu be appointed Director General (Planning and Development) for over 6 months (from May – December 2009) with the rank of Colonel over Colonel JK Kumah (a senior Colonel) before the former’s promotion to the rank of Brigadier General and eventual release of the latter in March 2010? Did Generals Nunoo-Mensah and Smith think about the stress, frustration and depression that such a situation caused Col JK Kumah? Again, why would Generals Nunoo-Mensah and Smith punish, torment and frustrate Brigadier General JS Nkrumah who had been Deputy Commandant for over 2 years before his mate’s elevation. Incidentally, both Brigadier Generals JS Nkrumah and Col JK Kumah are from the Brong Ahafo Region. So, once more, politics and ethnicity are at play and yet General Nunoo-Mensah is helpless, deaf, dumb and blind to them.
What do Generals Nunoo-Mensah and Smith say about the frustration and humiliation being meted to Colonel K Oppong-Otchere? Why should juniors and mates of Colonel Oppong-Otchere be promoted to the rank of Brigadier General and given commensurate appointments while he has the appointment of Deputy Commandant meriting the rank of Brigadier General and yet he was not promoted? Worst of all, several attempts were made to get him a UN appointment for the rank of Colonel in Sudan (Dafur), to deny him the promotion, to no avail. Determined to get rid of Col K Oppong-Otchere from the GAF, Gen Smith and his bootlickers have managed to push Col Oppong-Otchere to Liberia to replace Col E Tetteh-Akunor, his junior in a Colonel’s appointment. This is a demotion and humiliation. Why was Colonel BF Kusi, a junior of Colonel Oppong-Otchere, given Acting Brigadier Genral to go to La Côte d’Ivoire for a similar UN appointment but Col Oppong-Otchere leaves a Brigadier General’s appointment in Ghana for a Colonel’s appointment with the UN? The two situations are diametrically opposite in the treatment of officers. The reason for this anomaly is that Colonel BF Kusi is a Rawlings man (special assistant to Mrs Konadu Rawlings) and therefore a member of the NDC fraternity. So again, Generals Nunoo-Mensah and Smith, politics in today’s GAF is real and is flourishing with your consent and concurrence. Oh ye hypocrites!!! Again, why should Colonel G Partington be promoted Brigadier General and appointed Director General Joint Operations when he is very ill and cannot go to work while Gp Capt Brachie who is not as seriously ill as Brigadier Partington, and was going to work, be released? Is it also not a case of politics and ethnicity in the Armed Forces?
Not satisfied with their lot, the Ewes in the GAF with the connivance, abetment, acquiescence and express approval of Generals Nunoo-Mensah, Smith, Adinkrah and Blay are pushing for Brigadier General Agbenuzah to go to La Côte d’Ivoire as the Defence Advisor to avoid compulsory retirement by age on 3rd January 2011.
The plan hatched to suit the political and ethnic imperatives of the NDC government under the auspices of General Nunoo-Mensah include having Brigadier General GK Adjei to fill the vacancy created by the departure of Colonel K Oppong-Otchere between July and October 2010 when he would be retired compulsorily by age.
Brigadier General DK Frimpong would fill the gap at GAFCSC as Deputy Commandant to pave way for Brigadier General BF Kusi to be appointed as the Principal Staff officer of the Minister of Defence to please Flt Lt JJ Rawlings and Nana Konadu. Brigadier General DK Frimpong, who is an Ashanti, has been retained in the service because his wife is an Ewe.
Thereafter, Brigadier General JS Nkrumah would be shifted to Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Centre to be Deputy Commandant to take over from Brigadier General GK Adjei. These movements would create room for Colonel DJ Sakyi to be promoted Brigadier General to take over from Brigadier General Dan Prah as the Commander Army Combat Training School (ACTS). Brigadier General Dan Prah would then take over as the Deputy Commandant MATS. The other permutation on the drawing board is to shift Brigadier General JK Forkuo to MATS as Deputy Commandant for Colonel DJ Sakyi to take over as the Director General Training at General Headquarters.
The promotion of Group Captain EK Boateng (Ewe) is also in the offing. The Military High Command is feverishly looking for vacancies for the would-be Air Commodore EK Boateng between now and December 2010 as age is not on his side.
There are other interesting developments in the Ghana Armed Forces of today. Suddenly, Ewe officers who went on voluntary retirement under the NPP Administration are being encouraged to re-join the system. One of such cases involves Wing Commander SK Fianya who voluntarily retired in 2008 and was on terminal leave when the NDC came to power. He has been re-instated and is currently the Deputy Director Administration at the Airforce Headquarters. Wing Commander SK Fianya was the Airforce Representative on the 2009/2010 recruitment exercise. He played a dominant role in getting candidates from the Volta Region and sympathizers of the NDC into the military. The statistics for the Airforce in particular, the Army and Navy in general and especially the Navy, where Wing Commander Fianya found a willing and cooperative partner in Lt Cdr Kpetigo of Navy Headquarters point to that assertion.
Is it not ridiculous, outrageous and a clear case of politics and ethnicity in the military that all efforts are being made to re-instate Brigadier General AK Amedoh who out of his own volition retired from the GAF and took up an appointment with the UN? Why would Brigadier General Joseph Nunoo-Mensah sit unconcerned to allow all these happenings in the Ghana Armed Forces only to turn round to appeal to the Military High Command to eschew politics and ethnicity from the military? Are Generals Nunoo-Mensah and Smith and Lt Col AK Gbevlo-Lartey not responsible for the docility, inaction, cowardice, divide-and-rule, favoritism and discrimination along political and ethnic lines shown by the current Military High Command? Well, we live to see!!!
It is obvious from the three categories that only the three non-Akans from the Greater Accra, Northern and Volta Regions (all strongholds of the NDC) were retained on the list approved by the NPP Administration. Secondly, all the officers from Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Eastern Regions (strong holds of NPP) were deleted. Thirdly, all the replacements were Ewes, Fantis and Northerners whose regions voted massively for NDC in 2008. With these facts and revelations, General Nunoo-Mensah’s hypocrisy is exposed as far as politics and ethnicity in the Ghana Armed Forces under President Mills are concerned.
What would General Nunoo-Mensah say about the piecemeal and surreptitious manner in which all Akan and officers perceived to be NPP sympathizers especially those from the same three regions are being removed from command one after the other. For instance, Lt Col EW Kotiah and Lt Col JA Aphour commanding officers of 66 Artillery Regiment and 6th Battalion respectively were removed with alacrity from command in very unprofessional ways. Similarly, Lt Col A Serebour was dramatically replaced with Lt Col AK Dzisi (an Ewe) in March 2009.
Additionally and more importantly, all the Akan commanding officers of the Infantry Battalions are being removed from command one after the other using identical “communist inferior tactics” (CIT). For the avoidance of any doubts here is the list of those affected and those in command now.
1. 3rd Battalion of Infantry (Sunyani) - Lt Col MA Amoah (ER) replaced by Lt Col CK Lithur (Ewe)
2. 4th Battalion of Infantry (Kumasi) - taken over by Major SWK Parbey (Ewe) after death of Lt Col Amponsem-Boateng (Ashanti)
3. 5th Battalion of Infantry (Burma Camp) - Lt Col AY Nsiah (Ashanti) replaced by Lt Col LK Gbetanu (Ewe)
4. 2nd Battalion of Infantry (Takoradi) - retained by Lt Col AK Dawohoso (Ewe) appointed by NPP Administration
5. Defence Signal Regiment (Burma Camp) - Lt Col M Essien (WR) replaced by Lt Col A Ntem (Ewe)
6. Base Ordinance Depot - Lt Col ET Darquah (ER) replaced by Major SDK Gbezeh (Ewe)
7. Defence Mechanical Transport Battalion - Lt Col GY Adjei (BAR) replaced by Lt Col S Gagakuma (Ewe)
If these appointments are added to others such as Recce Regiment which is commanded by Lt Col JK Akou-Adjei (Volta Region) who was appointed by the NPP Administration, then the hypocrisy of General Nunoo-Mensah becomes more and more evident.
Has General Nunoo-Mensah thought about the atrocities, harassment, victimization, embarrassment and frustration being meted to Akan officers especially those from the three “notorious” regions? For example, why would Brigadier General JK Klobodu be appointed Director General (Planning and Development) for over 6 months (from May – December 2009) with the rank of Colonel over Colonel JK Kumah (a senior Colonel) before the former’s promotion to the rank of Brigadier General and eventual release of the latter in March 2010? Did Generals Nunoo-Mensah and Smith think about the stress, frustration and depression that such a situation caused Col JK Kumah? Again, why would Generals Nunoo-Mensah and Smith punish, torment and frustrate Brigadier General JS Nkrumah who had been Deputy Commandant for over 2 years before his mate’s elevation. Incidentally, both Brigadier Generals JS Nkrumah and Col JK Kumah are from the Brong Ahafo Region. So, once more, politics and ethnicity are at play and yet General Nunoo-Mensah is helpless, deaf, dumb and blind to them.
What do Generals Nunoo-Mensah and Smith say about the frustration and humiliation being meted to Colonel K Oppong-Otchere? Why should juniors and mates of Colonel Oppong-Otchere be promoted to the rank of Brigadier General and given commensurate appointments while he has the appointment of Deputy Commandant meriting the rank of Brigadier General and yet he was not promoted? Worst of all, several attempts were made to get him a UN appointment for the rank of Colonel in Sudan (Dafur), to deny him the promotion, to no avail. Determined to get rid of Col K Oppong-Otchere from the GAF, Gen Smith and his bootlickers have managed to push Col Oppong-Otchere to Liberia to replace Col E Tetteh-Akunor, his junior in a Colonel’s appointment. This is a demotion and humiliation. Why was Colonel BF Kusi, a junior of Colonel Oppong-Otchere, given Acting Brigadier Genral to go to La Côte d’Ivoire for a similar UN appointment but Col Oppong-Otchere leaves a Brigadier General’s appointment in Ghana for a Colonel’s appointment with the UN? The two situations are diametrically opposite in the treatment of officers. The reason for this anomaly is that Colonel BF Kusi is a Rawlings man (special assistant to Mrs Konadu Rawlings) and therefore a member of the NDC fraternity. So again, Generals Nunoo-Mensah and Smith, politics in today’s GAF is real and is flourishing with your consent and concurrence. Oh ye hypocrites!!! Again, why should Colonel G Partington be promoted Brigadier General and appointed Director General Joint Operations when he is very ill and cannot go to work while Gp Capt Brachie who is not as seriously ill as Brigadier Partington, and was going to work, be released? Is it also not a case of politics and ethnicity in the Armed Forces?
Not satisfied with their lot, the Ewes in the GAF with the connivance, abetment, acquiescence and express approval of Generals Nunoo-Mensah, Smith, Adinkrah and Blay are pushing for Brigadier General Agbenuzah to go to La Côte d’Ivoire as the Defence Advisor to avoid compulsory retirement by age on 3rd January 2011.
The plan hatched to suit the political and ethnic imperatives of the NDC government under the auspices of General Nunoo-Mensah include having Brigadier General GK Adjei to fill the vacancy created by the departure of Colonel K Oppong-Otchere between July and October 2010 when he would be retired compulsorily by age.
Brigadier General DK Frimpong would fill the gap at GAFCSC as Deputy Commandant to pave way for Brigadier General BF Kusi to be appointed as the Principal Staff officer of the Minister of Defence to please Flt Lt JJ Rawlings and Nana Konadu. Brigadier General DK Frimpong, who is an Ashanti, has been retained in the service because his wife is an Ewe.
Thereafter, Brigadier General JS Nkrumah would be shifted to Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Centre to be Deputy Commandant to take over from Brigadier General GK Adjei. These movements would create room for Colonel DJ Sakyi to be promoted Brigadier General to take over from Brigadier General Dan Prah as the Commander Army Combat Training School (ACTS). Brigadier General Dan Prah would then take over as the Deputy Commandant MATS. The other permutation on the drawing board is to shift Brigadier General JK Forkuo to MATS as Deputy Commandant for Colonel DJ Sakyi to take over as the Director General Training at General Headquarters.
The promotion of Group Captain EK Boateng (Ewe) is also in the offing. The Military High Command is feverishly looking for vacancies for the would-be Air Commodore EK Boateng between now and December 2010 as age is not on his side.
There are other interesting developments in the Ghana Armed Forces of today. Suddenly, Ewe officers who went on voluntary retirement under the NPP Administration are being encouraged to re-join the system. One of such cases involves Wing Commander SK Fianya who voluntarily retired in 2008 and was on terminal leave when the NDC came to power. He has been re-instated and is currently the Deputy Director Administration at the Airforce Headquarters. Wing Commander SK Fianya was the Airforce Representative on the 2009/2010 recruitment exercise. He played a dominant role in getting candidates from the Volta Region and sympathizers of the NDC into the military. The statistics for the Airforce in particular, the Army and Navy in general and especially the Navy, where Wing Commander Fianya found a willing and cooperative partner in Lt Cdr Kpetigo of Navy Headquarters point to that assertion.
Is it not ridiculous, outrageous and a clear case of politics and ethnicity in the military that all efforts are being made to re-instate Brigadier General AK Amedoh who out of his own volition retired from the GAF and took up an appointment with the UN? Why would Brigadier General Joseph Nunoo-Mensah sit unconcerned to allow all these happenings in the Ghana Armed Forces only to turn round to appeal to the Military High Command to eschew politics and ethnicity from the military? Are Generals Nunoo-Mensah and Smith and Lt Col AK Gbevlo-Lartey not responsible for the docility, inaction, cowardice, divide-and-rule, favoritism and discrimination along political and ethnic lines shown by the current Military High Command? Well, we live to see!!!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Politics And Ethniciity In The Military– General Nunoo-Mensah’s Hypocrisy (Part 1)
The Armed Forces News (AFNEWS) edition 107 for First/Second Quarter of 2010 carries at its front page a call by Brigadier General Joseph Nunoo-Mensah (Rtd) to the Military High Command to eschew politics and ethnicity from the military. In its editorial the AFNEWS repeats the call and also writes “No to politics and ethnicity in the military”.
For the umpteenth time Brigadier General Joseph Nunoo-Mensah and General JH Smith, have made this call for the Ghana Armed Forces to purge themselves of politics and ethnicity. In recent times, the National Security Advisor has been showing his frustration with his new found love, the NDC party and government over discrimination along party lines (politics) and tribal considerations (ethnicity). Ironically and interestingly, Brigadier General Joseph Nunoo-Mensah 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 on two occasions. Yet, he fails to add that he won that accolade by courtesy of Flt Lt JJ 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).
Thus, but for politics in the military or better still the military getting directly involved in politics, there was no way that Brigadier General Joseph Nunoo-Mensah could and would have become the Chief of Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces twice within three years (between 1979 and 1982). The other fact that has to be recognized is that because he is an opportunist to the highest apogee on all two occasions, his tenure was short, brief and insignificant.
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 Organ of government), he could not imagine that the PNDC would hand over power (a serving military General in politics!).
When he fell out of love with the P/NDC he joined the 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 Flt Lt Rawlings and the PNDC, 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 (Generals in particular) started telling lies about the Military High Command under President JA Kufuor.
For instance, he knew very well that the official residence of the CDS, 1 Roman Ridge, had not been sold and yet with the connivance of General SA Odotei (who hoped to be appointed CDS) spread the false information in the military and the media. In addition to the meeting he had with other “security capos” at the residence of Flt Lt JJ Rawlings, he was alleged to have held several meetings in Burma Camp at the Command Mess even during the period that they were officially banned by the National Security Council from entering military installations.
There are living witnesses to this assertion and that was why he said on radio several times that he did not need to go to Burma Camp to get what he wanted. Some of the serving military officers who facilitated these meetings in Burma Camp, at Okponglo and Adjirigano are now holding juicy appointments at Castle.
Thus, even during constitutional rule in the 4th Republic when he had no official appointment Brigadier General Nunoo-Mensah continued to aid and abet in the politicization of the Ghana Armed Forces. Instead of seeing the actions and activities of serving officers and men against the government of the day as an aberration, Brigadier General Nunoo-Mensah encouraged, supported, assisted, facilitated and cooperated with them to deny the NPP government re-election. Certainly, Brigadier General Nunoo-Mensah does not see that as politics in the military as long as it satisfied his opportunistic instincts.
In the early part of 2009, when the NDC government of President JEA Mills was to appoint commanders for the Armed Forces, the Police Service and other Security Services, Brigadier General Nunoo-Mensah was candid enough to admit that politics had crept into the military and that whenever the names of very competent professionals who deserved the appointments were mentioned other voices kicked against them because they were not seen to be with the NDC (politics in the military – isn’t it?).
The amazing part of the hypocrisy of Brigadier General Nunoo-Mensah was that he could not as a Security Advisor, persuade “the hawks” and his boss to go with professionalism, competence and merit but rather sided with political and ethnic loyalties and ended up appointing mediocre Generals to be in charge at all levels to suit NDC political and ethnic manipulations.
How can Brigadier General Nunoo-Mensah defend the compulsory retirement of Brigadier General E Okyere? Apart from politics and ethnicity why would Generals JN Adinkrah (Adangbe), Kwesi Yankson (Fanti) and Air Vice Marshal CEK Dovlo (Ewe) be given appointments and promotion over Brigadier General E Okyere (Ashanti) and Brigadier General R Debrah (Kwahu)?
As if those were not enough how come that since January 2009, leaving out the CDS, Service Chiefs, Chief of Staff and Commandants, all military officers who have been retired compulsorily and prematurely are Akans from Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Eastern Regions. For the avoidance of doubt find below some of the names of those affected officers and their regions:
1. Brig Gen E Okyere - Ashanti (Ashanti Region)
2. “ “ R Debrah - Kwahu (Eastern Region)
3. “ “ H Nana Acheampong - Ashanti (Eastern Region)
4. “ “ RO Sackey - Akwapim (Eastern Region)
5. “ “ K Oppong-Kyekyeku - Ashanti (Ashanti Region)
6. Colonel K Damoah - Brong (Brong Ahafo)
7. “ JK Kumah - Brong (Brong Ahafo)
8. “ EK Danso - Akwapim (Eastern Region)
9. “ EN Opoku - Ashanti (Ashanti Region)
10. Lt Col A Serebour - Ashanti (Ashanti Region)
11. “ “ N Ofosu-Anim - Akyem (Eastern Region)
12. Group Captain LE Dwamena-Mante - Akwapim (Eastern Region)
13. “ “ A Brachie - Akyem (Eastern Region)
14. “ “ FA Gyimah-Kwakye - Ashanti (Ashanti Region)
One would have accepted these retirements in good faith if the same yardstick had been used for the officers from the Volta Region, in particular and other strongholds of the NDC in general. For instance can Brigadier General Nunoo-Mensah give cogent reasons other than politics and ethnicity why Brig Gen H Nana Acheampong, who will be 60 years old on 3rd December 2010, was retired in May 2009 while Commodore F Daley (Ewe) who is already 63 years old is still in the service? The same applies to Brigadier General PK Opoku (an Ewe) who is 60 years old and is in the service. Why should Group Captains EL Dwamena-Mante and CA Brachie be retired compulsorily but Group Captain EK Boateng (an Ewe), Colonel VGK Gamor (a Ewe) Colonel FK Kwashie (an Ewe) and Naval Captain BB Wotordzor (an Ewe) continue to be in the service since they are contemporaries and equally affected by compulsory retiring age.
Surely, politics and ethnicity account for these discriminatory applications of Armed Forces Rules and Regulations but Gen Nunoo-Mensah cannot see so! Thus while under-aged Akans from the three Regions (Ashanti, BA and ER) are being retired compulsorily, their Ewe counterparts have been retained and given juicy appointments.
Can General Nunoo-Mensah explain why Major (now temporal Lt Col) S Tanye-Kulonyo was promoted Lt Col on 8th January 2009 by the Castle with the connivance of Gen SA Odotei without the consent and concurrence of the other members of the Military High Command? It was for political and ethnic reasons. Certainly, when this anomaly got to the attention of General JB Danquah, he questioned it, rejected it as wrong and therefore the officer was given the temporal rank of Lt Col in accordance with the military rules and regulations.
As if possessed by the demons in the NDC, General Nunoo-Mensah agreed to the cancellation of the promotions and appointments made by the NPP Administration on 6th January 2009. On the same 8th January 2009 that Major S Tanye-Kulonyo was promoted Lt Col, just a day after President Mills took office as the Commander-In-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, that illegal and wrong decision of canceling promotions and appointments was communicated to the Military High Command through Brig Gen Nunoo-Mensah and the late Admiral Owusu-Ansah.
Even though that decision was wrong, illegal, ill-conceived and malicious the quartet of Generals, i.e. Nunoo-Mensah, Smith, Quainoo and Owusu-Ansah (all members of the Transitional Security and Defence Committee) defended it because of opportunism and quest for positions in the NDC government. They made it impossible for the then Chief of Defence Staff, General JB Danquah, to see the President to explain matters to him. When finally General JB Danquah, with difficulty, managed to see the President with all the relevant documents, appropriate legal processes and procedures that were followed, common sense prevailed and by a Military Secretary publication of 16th January 2009 (Annex A To GHQ/18023/MS dated 16 January 09 refers) the promotions and appointments of 6th January 2009 were restored with the exception of those for diplomatic duties.
The worst form of politics and ethnicity in the military in recent times happened when drastic changes were made in the appointments for diplomatic duties on 12th May 2009. General Nunoo-Mensah sat at the Castle unconcerned about the unfair and ill-treatment given to those officers appointed by the NPP Administration and who hail from the three “notorious” regions – Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Eastern. All the officers from these three regions were dropped and those from the remaining regions retained.
For the avoidance of any doubt, please find below the appointments made on 6th January 2009 and compare later with those made by the NDC government of General Nunoo-Mensah on 12th May 2009:
6th January 2009 Appointments
1. Brig Gen A Annan (Gt Accra) - DA Germany
2. Brig Gen JA Kwasie (Western) - MILAD, New York
3. Col K Oppong-Otchere (Eastern) - DMNAA, Washington
4. Col AI Wuni (Upper East) - DA, South Africa
5. Col K Damoah (Brong Ahafo) - Deputy MILAD, New York
6. Commodore F Daley (Volta) - DA, Russia
7. Naval Captain SK Darbo (Ashanti) - DA China
8. Naval Captain K Osei Sarfo (Ashanti) - Deputy DA, UK
9. Group Captain Dwamena-Mante (Eastern)- Deputy DMNAA, Washington DC
10. Air Commodore IS Kadri (Northern) - DA, India
12th May 2009
1. Brig Gen A Annan (Gt Accra) - DA Ethiopia
2. Brig Gen G Amamoo (Central) - DMNAA, Washington DC
3. Brig Gen PK Opoku (Volta) - MILAD, New York
4. Brig Gen BK Gborglah (Volta) - DA, China
5. Col E Abdulai (Upper East) - Deputy MILAD, New York
6. Commodore F Daley (Volta) - DA, Nigeria
7. Naval Captain MK Addison (Central) - Deputy DA, UK
8. Air Commodore ER Krakue (Central) - DA, India
9. Air Commodore IS Kadri (Northern) - DA, Egypt
A juxtaposition of the appointments of 6th January 2009 on those of 12th May 2009 would reveal the following:
Retained
1. Brig Gen A Annan (Gt Accra)
2. Commodore F Daley (Volta)
3. Air Commodore IS Kadri (Northern)
Deleted
1. Brig Gen JA Kwasie (Western)
2. Col K Oppong-Okyere (Eastern)
3. Col K Damoah (Brong Ahafo)
4. Naval Captain SK Darbo (Ashanti)
5. Naval Captain K Osei-Sarfo (Ashanti)
6. Group Captain EL Dwamena-Mante (Eastern)
Replacement/Insertion
1. Brig Gen GA Amamoo (CR – Fanti)
2. Brig Gen Gborglah (VR – Ewe)
3. Brig Gen PK Opoku (VR – Ewe)
4. Col E Abdulai (UER – Kusasi)
5. Captain (GN) MK Addidon (CR – Fanti)
6. Air Commodore ER Krakue (CR – Fanti)
For the umpteenth time Brigadier General Joseph Nunoo-Mensah and General JH Smith, have made this call for the Ghana Armed Forces to purge themselves of politics and ethnicity. In recent times, the National Security Advisor has been showing his frustration with his new found love, the NDC party and government over discrimination along party lines (politics) and tribal considerations (ethnicity). Ironically and interestingly, Brigadier General Joseph Nunoo-Mensah 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 on two occasions. Yet, he fails to add that he won that accolade by courtesy of Flt Lt JJ 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).
Thus, but for politics in the military or better still the military getting directly involved in politics, there was no way that Brigadier General Joseph Nunoo-Mensah could and would have become the Chief of Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces twice within three years (between 1979 and 1982). The other fact that has to be recognized is that because he is an opportunist to the highest apogee on all two occasions, his tenure was short, brief and insignificant.
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 Organ of government), he could not imagine that the PNDC would hand over power (a serving military General in politics!).
When he fell out of love with the P/NDC he joined the 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 Flt Lt Rawlings and the PNDC, 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 (Generals in particular) started telling lies about the Military High Command under President JA Kufuor.
For instance, he knew very well that the official residence of the CDS, 1 Roman Ridge, had not been sold and yet with the connivance of General SA Odotei (who hoped to be appointed CDS) spread the false information in the military and the media. In addition to the meeting he had with other “security capos” at the residence of Flt Lt JJ Rawlings, he was alleged to have held several meetings in Burma Camp at the Command Mess even during the period that they were officially banned by the National Security Council from entering military installations.
There are living witnesses to this assertion and that was why he said on radio several times that he did not need to go to Burma Camp to get what he wanted. Some of the serving military officers who facilitated these meetings in Burma Camp, at Okponglo and Adjirigano are now holding juicy appointments at Castle.
Thus, even during constitutional rule in the 4th Republic when he had no official appointment Brigadier General Nunoo-Mensah continued to aid and abet in the politicization of the Ghana Armed Forces. Instead of seeing the actions and activities of serving officers and men against the government of the day as an aberration, Brigadier General Nunoo-Mensah encouraged, supported, assisted, facilitated and cooperated with them to deny the NPP government re-election. Certainly, Brigadier General Nunoo-Mensah does not see that as politics in the military as long as it satisfied his opportunistic instincts.
In the early part of 2009, when the NDC government of President JEA Mills was to appoint commanders for the Armed Forces, the Police Service and other Security Services, Brigadier General Nunoo-Mensah was candid enough to admit that politics had crept into the military and that whenever the names of very competent professionals who deserved the appointments were mentioned other voices kicked against them because they were not seen to be with the NDC (politics in the military – isn’t it?).
The amazing part of the hypocrisy of Brigadier General Nunoo-Mensah was that he could not as a Security Advisor, persuade “the hawks” and his boss to go with professionalism, competence and merit but rather sided with political and ethnic loyalties and ended up appointing mediocre Generals to be in charge at all levels to suit NDC political and ethnic manipulations.
How can Brigadier General Nunoo-Mensah defend the compulsory retirement of Brigadier General E Okyere? Apart from politics and ethnicity why would Generals JN Adinkrah (Adangbe), Kwesi Yankson (Fanti) and Air Vice Marshal CEK Dovlo (Ewe) be given appointments and promotion over Brigadier General E Okyere (Ashanti) and Brigadier General R Debrah (Kwahu)?
As if those were not enough how come that since January 2009, leaving out the CDS, Service Chiefs, Chief of Staff and Commandants, all military officers who have been retired compulsorily and prematurely are Akans from Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Eastern Regions. For the avoidance of doubt find below some of the names of those affected officers and their regions:
1. Brig Gen E Okyere - Ashanti (Ashanti Region)
2. “ “ R Debrah - Kwahu (Eastern Region)
3. “ “ H Nana Acheampong - Ashanti (Eastern Region)
4. “ “ RO Sackey - Akwapim (Eastern Region)
5. “ “ K Oppong-Kyekyeku - Ashanti (Ashanti Region)
6. Colonel K Damoah - Brong (Brong Ahafo)
7. “ JK Kumah - Brong (Brong Ahafo)
8. “ EK Danso - Akwapim (Eastern Region)
9. “ EN Opoku - Ashanti (Ashanti Region)
10. Lt Col A Serebour - Ashanti (Ashanti Region)
11. “ “ N Ofosu-Anim - Akyem (Eastern Region)
12. Group Captain LE Dwamena-Mante - Akwapim (Eastern Region)
13. “ “ A Brachie - Akyem (Eastern Region)
14. “ “ FA Gyimah-Kwakye - Ashanti (Ashanti Region)
One would have accepted these retirements in good faith if the same yardstick had been used for the officers from the Volta Region, in particular and other strongholds of the NDC in general. For instance can Brigadier General Nunoo-Mensah give cogent reasons other than politics and ethnicity why Brig Gen H Nana Acheampong, who will be 60 years old on 3rd December 2010, was retired in May 2009 while Commodore F Daley (Ewe) who is already 63 years old is still in the service? The same applies to Brigadier General PK Opoku (an Ewe) who is 60 years old and is in the service. Why should Group Captains EL Dwamena-Mante and CA Brachie be retired compulsorily but Group Captain EK Boateng (an Ewe), Colonel VGK Gamor (a Ewe) Colonel FK Kwashie (an Ewe) and Naval Captain BB Wotordzor (an Ewe) continue to be in the service since they are contemporaries and equally affected by compulsory retiring age.
Surely, politics and ethnicity account for these discriminatory applications of Armed Forces Rules and Regulations but Gen Nunoo-Mensah cannot see so! Thus while under-aged Akans from the three Regions (Ashanti, BA and ER) are being retired compulsorily, their Ewe counterparts have been retained and given juicy appointments.
Can General Nunoo-Mensah explain why Major (now temporal Lt Col) S Tanye-Kulonyo was promoted Lt Col on 8th January 2009 by the Castle with the connivance of Gen SA Odotei without the consent and concurrence of the other members of the Military High Command? It was for political and ethnic reasons. Certainly, when this anomaly got to the attention of General JB Danquah, he questioned it, rejected it as wrong and therefore the officer was given the temporal rank of Lt Col in accordance with the military rules and regulations.
As if possessed by the demons in the NDC, General Nunoo-Mensah agreed to the cancellation of the promotions and appointments made by the NPP Administration on 6th January 2009. On the same 8th January 2009 that Major S Tanye-Kulonyo was promoted Lt Col, just a day after President Mills took office as the Commander-In-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, that illegal and wrong decision of canceling promotions and appointments was communicated to the Military High Command through Brig Gen Nunoo-Mensah and the late Admiral Owusu-Ansah.
Even though that decision was wrong, illegal, ill-conceived and malicious the quartet of Generals, i.e. Nunoo-Mensah, Smith, Quainoo and Owusu-Ansah (all members of the Transitional Security and Defence Committee) defended it because of opportunism and quest for positions in the NDC government. They made it impossible for the then Chief of Defence Staff, General JB Danquah, to see the President to explain matters to him. When finally General JB Danquah, with difficulty, managed to see the President with all the relevant documents, appropriate legal processes and procedures that were followed, common sense prevailed and by a Military Secretary publication of 16th January 2009 (Annex A To GHQ/18023/MS dated 16 January 09 refers) the promotions and appointments of 6th January 2009 were restored with the exception of those for diplomatic duties.
The worst form of politics and ethnicity in the military in recent times happened when drastic changes were made in the appointments for diplomatic duties on 12th May 2009. General Nunoo-Mensah sat at the Castle unconcerned about the unfair and ill-treatment given to those officers appointed by the NPP Administration and who hail from the three “notorious” regions – Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Eastern. All the officers from these three regions were dropped and those from the remaining regions retained.
For the avoidance of any doubt, please find below the appointments made on 6th January 2009 and compare later with those made by the NDC government of General Nunoo-Mensah on 12th May 2009:
6th January 2009 Appointments
1. Brig Gen A Annan (Gt Accra) - DA Germany
2. Brig Gen JA Kwasie (Western) - MILAD, New York
3. Col K Oppong-Otchere (Eastern) - DMNAA, Washington
4. Col AI Wuni (Upper East) - DA, South Africa
5. Col K Damoah (Brong Ahafo) - Deputy MILAD, New York
6. Commodore F Daley (Volta) - DA, Russia
7. Naval Captain SK Darbo (Ashanti) - DA China
8. Naval Captain K Osei Sarfo (Ashanti) - Deputy DA, UK
9. Group Captain Dwamena-Mante (Eastern)- Deputy DMNAA, Washington DC
10. Air Commodore IS Kadri (Northern) - DA, India
12th May 2009
1. Brig Gen A Annan (Gt Accra) - DA Ethiopia
2. Brig Gen G Amamoo (Central) - DMNAA, Washington DC
3. Brig Gen PK Opoku (Volta) - MILAD, New York
4. Brig Gen BK Gborglah (Volta) - DA, China
5. Col E Abdulai (Upper East) - Deputy MILAD, New York
6. Commodore F Daley (Volta) - DA, Nigeria
7. Naval Captain MK Addison (Central) - Deputy DA, UK
8. Air Commodore ER Krakue (Central) - DA, India
9. Air Commodore IS Kadri (Northern) - DA, Egypt
A juxtaposition of the appointments of 6th January 2009 on those of 12th May 2009 would reveal the following:
Retained
1. Brig Gen A Annan (Gt Accra)
2. Commodore F Daley (Volta)
3. Air Commodore IS Kadri (Northern)
Deleted
1. Brig Gen JA Kwasie (Western)
2. Col K Oppong-Okyere (Eastern)
3. Col K Damoah (Brong Ahafo)
4. Naval Captain SK Darbo (Ashanti)
5. Naval Captain K Osei-Sarfo (Ashanti)
6. Group Captain EL Dwamena-Mante (Eastern)
Replacement/Insertion
1. Brig Gen GA Amamoo (CR – Fanti)
2. Brig Gen Gborglah (VR – Ewe)
3. Brig Gen PK Opoku (VR – Ewe)
4. Col E Abdulai (UER – Kusasi)
5. Captain (GN) MK Addidon (CR – Fanti)
6. Air Commodore ER Krakue (CR – Fanti)
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Kokofu Appointments and Promotions in Armed Forces!
Intelligence picked up by this blog indicates that tension is mounting within the Ghana Armed Forces over the latest publications of appointments and promotions by the Military High Command through the Military Secretary dated 9th July 2010.
The combined effects of this latest publication and that of the 23rd December 2009 is to reward NDC sympathizers and their cronies in the GAF while victimizing and humiliating those perceived to be NPP or from the three
The only promotion to Brigadier General of the Ghana Army went to Colonel PY Kponyo (Volta Region) of 37 Military Hospital who was appointed the Commander of the Hospital on 23rd December 2009 instead of Col FA Apeagyei (Kwahu from the ER) who was the senior-most Colonel and on the GMA Selection Board that enlisted the former.
Lieutenant Colonels SB Alloh (VR), SMKAE Ayer (VR), AK Boimah (VR), M Atintande (UER), F Buliga (UER), CB Alhassan (NR) among others also promoted Colonels.
Lt Col MK Akpatsu Jnr, a former District Secretary of Manya Krobo District (Somanya) was also promoted Colonel and appointed Director of Administration at Army Headquarters.
The most disgusting of all the appointments and promotions was the elevation of Lt Col M Atintande to the status of Director of Public Relations of the GAF over Lt Col CB Ankomah-Danso.
Lt Col CB Ankomah-Danso who is one year senior to Lt Col M Atintande was cleverly posted to the Ministry of Defence by Gen JH Smith, who is a sworn enemy of this brilliant and hardworking lady, in order to deny her the appointment of Director Public Relations in the GAF.
Other insulting and humiliating postings and appointments centre on Colonels K Oppong Otchere and AK Appiah-Agyapong from the Eastern and Ashanti Region respectively.
Colonel K Oppong Otchere, who was appointed as the Defence, Military, Naval and Air Attaché (DMNAA) to Washington DC in the USA on 6th January 2009 by the NPP Administration, has been victimized and humiliated ever since.
Even though after diplomatic duties were cancelled, he was posted to Kofi Annan International PeaceKeeping Centre (KAIPTC) as the Deputy Commandant which is a Brigadier’s appointment, the NDC Administration has refused to promote him alongside his mates and even juniors but has decided to release him compulsorily. In order to hide the shameful act, the Military High Command with instructions from the Ministry of Defence and National Security Coordinator, has posted him to Liberia to take a Colonel’s appointment. This is obviously a demotion and humiliation.
The usual practice is to leave one appointment for a similar one or a higher one but not a lower one as in this case. The case of Colonel K. Oppong-Otchere is so pathetic and a clear case of unnecessary victimization, show of power, wickedness and ethnic discrimination. Why should Colonel B.F. Kusi, an Aide to Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings during the P/NDC era and a junior to Col. K. Oppong-Otchere, be given an Acting Brigadier General rank to go on UN operations in La Cote d’Ivoire similar to the UN operations in Liberia but Col. |K. Oppong-Otchere leave a Brigadier General’s appointment in Ghana for a Colonel’s one in Liberia?
It is an unfair, unjust, ill-conceived discrimination and ill-treatment to Colonel K. Oppong-Otchere and posterity will judge the NDC and the current Military High Command for it.
In order to be seen to be balancing the equation, the Military High Command has posted Brigadier Gen. G. K. Adjei (an Ashanti) to KAIPTC as the Deputy Commandant to replace Col. Oppong-Otchere. This act of the NDC is diabolical and a diversionary strategy. Just as was done to Brigadier General K. Oppong-Kyekyeku last year when he returned from diplomatic duties in the USA and Col. Nibo denied that he had been released, the same fate awaits General G. K. Adjei who would be released by the end of December 2010.
For the moment, Gen. G.K. Adjei is being used as a stop gap to deny Col. Oppong-Otchere his well-deserved promotion to the rank of Brigadier General. It is as predictable as it is as sure that another P/NDC sympathizer would be appointed as Deputy Commandant KAIPTC in place of General Adjei. No matter the assurances given and public relations gimmicks, General Smith will implement the decision already taken by the NDC Administration. It is a known fact that President Mills signed the documents of all the Colonels and above considered Pro-NPP last year, 2009, and their releases are being published in a piecemeal strategic manner.
That is why in spite of the chauffeur-driven Peugeot 607 given to Brig Gen. Oppong-Kyekyeku and the assurances given to him by General Smith that he would be retained in the Service, the NDC Administration went ahead to shock and release him in November 2009 at a very short notice.
Another case of selective and negative discrimination against Ashanti, Akyem and Brong Officers is the case of Col. A. K. Appiah Agyapong.
Instead of sanctioning Col. C. A. Nutakor for mismanaging affairs and causing confusion at GAFCSC, Col. A. K. Appiah Agyapong has been shifted from CI Army Faculty to CI Joint studies which is a “toothless-bull-dog” appointment on the “orders” of Col. C. A. Nutakor who is telling everybody around that he suspects Col. Appiah-Agyapong for leaking the information to a journalist.
The main issue about that promotion is that a very young Colonel, Col. A, K. Boimah, is being posted to the post of CI Army Faculty which is usually reserved for very senior experienced and knowledgeable Colonels.
Additionally, it is a way of strengthening the hands of the “Dzelukope Mafia” (Ewes) to control GAFCSC to enable them gives awards especially the “Honour Graduate” to only Ewes. With that appointment the “nng” is steadfast and strengthened.
The Deputy Commandant is Brig. Gen. Agbenuzah (Ewe), the GSOI is Colonel C.O.A. Nutakor (Ewe), the CI Army Faculty is Col. A. K. Boimah (Ewe) and the CI Airforce Faculty is Group Captain Dzokoto. These are the people who matter as far as grading and awards are concerned at the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC).
These appointments were preceded by the removal of two commanding officers of two strategic units – the Defence Signal Regiment and Defence Mechanical Transport Battalion. The two Commanding Officers who are all Akans – Lt. Cols M. Essien and G.Y. Adjei – were removed in very bizarre circumstances and replaced by Ewes – Lt. Cols Anthony Ntem and S. Gagakuma (all Ewes).
With these appointments, the picture of Commanding Officers for other strategic units in the Ghana Armed Forces as at date is as follows: 1. Commanding Officer 2nd Infantry Battalion at Takoradi – Lt. Col. A.K. Dawohoso (Ewe) 2. 3. Commanding Officer 3rd Infantry Battalion at Sunyani – Lt. Col. C. K. Lithur (Ewe) 4. 5. Commanding Officer of 4th Infantry Battalion in Kumasi – Lt. Col. S.W.K. Parbey (Ewe) 6. 7. Commanding Officer 5th Infantry Battalion at Burma Camp – Lt. Col. L. K. Gbetanu (Ewe) 8. 9. Commanding Officer Recce Regiment at Burma Camp – Lt. Col. J.K. Akou-Adjei (Ewe) 10. 11. Commanding Officer of Forces Pay Office at Burma Camp – Lt. Col. A. K. Dzisi (Ewe) 12. 13. Commander 37 Military Hospital – Brigadier General P.Y. Kponyoh (Ewe) If the country has six (6) Infantry Battalions and four of the Commanding Officers are all Ewes then, there is a problem!!!
These appointments married with several others such as Chief of Staff, Commandant KAIPTC, Chief Staff Officer at Airforce Headquarters, Director General Joint Operations and Plans and Development and several Directors (i.e. Legal, Education, Discipline, Resettlement, pay, Army Training, etc.) are really worrisome.
The Cohesion, spirit de corpse and unity in the Ghana Armed Forces are being eroded by the positive discrimination in favor of Ewes and Northerners and negative discrimination against Akans especially those from Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Eastern Regions. Yet another posting that has raised eyebrows is that of Lt. Cdr D.G. Attachie, the junior brother of Lt. Col. L. L. Attachie. He has been posted to the Department of Defence Intelligence to be in-charge of vetting of potential recruits and officer cadets. This appointment is to help the NDC to continue with its fraudulent recruitment and enlistment of NDC foot soldiers, members and sympathizers into the GAF.
The promotion of Major C. K. Gbekle (an Ewe) to the rank of Lt. Col. is also another source of worry. Major Gbekle is only 12 years in the service and was promoted Major on 12th November 2004 (5½ years old in the rank). He is the only one picked from the very bottom of the ladder over several of his seniors. Eh! This is real Kokofu!!!!!
The combined effects of this latest publication and that of the 23rd December 2009 is to reward NDC sympathizers and their cronies in the GAF while victimizing and humiliating those perceived to be NPP or from the three
The only promotion to Brigadier General of the Ghana Army went to Colonel PY Kponyo (Volta Region) of 37 Military Hospital who was appointed the Commander of the Hospital on 23rd December 2009 instead of Col FA Apeagyei (Kwahu from the ER) who was the senior-most Colonel and on the GMA Selection Board that enlisted the former.
Lieutenant Colonels SB Alloh (VR), SMKAE Ayer (VR), AK Boimah (VR), M Atintande (UER), F Buliga (UER), CB Alhassan (NR) among others also promoted Colonels.
Lt Col MK Akpatsu Jnr, a former District Secretary of Manya Krobo District (Somanya) was also promoted Colonel and appointed Director of Administration at Army Headquarters.
The most disgusting of all the appointments and promotions was the elevation of Lt Col M Atintande to the status of Director of Public Relations of the GAF over Lt Col CB Ankomah-Danso.
Lt Col CB Ankomah-Danso who is one year senior to Lt Col M Atintande was cleverly posted to the Ministry of Defence by Gen JH Smith, who is a sworn enemy of this brilliant and hardworking lady, in order to deny her the appointment of Director Public Relations in the GAF.
Other insulting and humiliating postings and appointments centre on Colonels K Oppong Otchere and AK Appiah-Agyapong from the Eastern and Ashanti Region respectively.
Colonel K Oppong Otchere, who was appointed as the Defence, Military, Naval and Air Attaché (DMNAA) to Washington DC in the USA on 6th January 2009 by the NPP Administration, has been victimized and humiliated ever since.
Even though after diplomatic duties were cancelled, he was posted to Kofi Annan International PeaceKeeping Centre (KAIPTC) as the Deputy Commandant which is a Brigadier’s appointment, the NDC Administration has refused to promote him alongside his mates and even juniors but has decided to release him compulsorily. In order to hide the shameful act, the Military High Command with instructions from the Ministry of Defence and National Security Coordinator, has posted him to Liberia to take a Colonel’s appointment. This is obviously a demotion and humiliation.
The usual practice is to leave one appointment for a similar one or a higher one but not a lower one as in this case. The case of Colonel K. Oppong-Otchere is so pathetic and a clear case of unnecessary victimization, show of power, wickedness and ethnic discrimination. Why should Colonel B.F. Kusi, an Aide to Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings during the P/NDC era and a junior to Col. K. Oppong-Otchere, be given an Acting Brigadier General rank to go on UN operations in La Cote d’Ivoire similar to the UN operations in Liberia but Col. |K. Oppong-Otchere leave a Brigadier General’s appointment in Ghana for a Colonel’s one in Liberia?
It is an unfair, unjust, ill-conceived discrimination and ill-treatment to Colonel K. Oppong-Otchere and posterity will judge the NDC and the current Military High Command for it.
In order to be seen to be balancing the equation, the Military High Command has posted Brigadier Gen. G. K. Adjei (an Ashanti) to KAIPTC as the Deputy Commandant to replace Col. Oppong-Otchere. This act of the NDC is diabolical and a diversionary strategy. Just as was done to Brigadier General K. Oppong-Kyekyeku last year when he returned from diplomatic duties in the USA and Col. Nibo denied that he had been released, the same fate awaits General G. K. Adjei who would be released by the end of December 2010.
For the moment, Gen. G.K. Adjei is being used as a stop gap to deny Col. Oppong-Otchere his well-deserved promotion to the rank of Brigadier General. It is as predictable as it is as sure that another P/NDC sympathizer would be appointed as Deputy Commandant KAIPTC in place of General Adjei. No matter the assurances given and public relations gimmicks, General Smith will implement the decision already taken by the NDC Administration. It is a known fact that President Mills signed the documents of all the Colonels and above considered Pro-NPP last year, 2009, and their releases are being published in a piecemeal strategic manner.
That is why in spite of the chauffeur-driven Peugeot 607 given to Brig Gen. Oppong-Kyekyeku and the assurances given to him by General Smith that he would be retained in the Service, the NDC Administration went ahead to shock and release him in November 2009 at a very short notice.
Another case of selective and negative discrimination against Ashanti, Akyem and Brong Officers is the case of Col. A. K. Appiah Agyapong.
Instead of sanctioning Col. C. A. Nutakor for mismanaging affairs and causing confusion at GAFCSC, Col. A. K. Appiah Agyapong has been shifted from CI Army Faculty to CI Joint studies which is a “toothless-bull-dog” appointment on the “orders” of Col. C. A. Nutakor who is telling everybody around that he suspects Col. Appiah-Agyapong for leaking the information to a journalist.
The main issue about that promotion is that a very young Colonel, Col. A, K. Boimah, is being posted to the post of CI Army Faculty which is usually reserved for very senior experienced and knowledgeable Colonels.
Additionally, it is a way of strengthening the hands of the “Dzelukope Mafia” (Ewes) to control GAFCSC to enable them gives awards especially the “Honour Graduate” to only Ewes. With that appointment the “nng” is steadfast and strengthened.
The Deputy Commandant is Brig. Gen. Agbenuzah (Ewe), the GSOI is Colonel C.O.A. Nutakor (Ewe), the CI Army Faculty is Col. A. K. Boimah (Ewe) and the CI Airforce Faculty is Group Captain Dzokoto. These are the people who matter as far as grading and awards are concerned at the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC).
These appointments were preceded by the removal of two commanding officers of two strategic units – the Defence Signal Regiment and Defence Mechanical Transport Battalion. The two Commanding Officers who are all Akans – Lt. Cols M. Essien and G.Y. Adjei – were removed in very bizarre circumstances and replaced by Ewes – Lt. Cols Anthony Ntem and S. Gagakuma (all Ewes).
With these appointments, the picture of Commanding Officers for other strategic units in the Ghana Armed Forces as at date is as follows: 1. Commanding Officer 2nd Infantry Battalion at Takoradi – Lt. Col. A.K. Dawohoso (Ewe) 2. 3. Commanding Officer 3rd Infantry Battalion at Sunyani – Lt. Col. C. K. Lithur (Ewe) 4. 5. Commanding Officer of 4th Infantry Battalion in Kumasi – Lt. Col. S.W.K. Parbey (Ewe) 6. 7. Commanding Officer 5th Infantry Battalion at Burma Camp – Lt. Col. L. K. Gbetanu (Ewe) 8. 9. Commanding Officer Recce Regiment at Burma Camp – Lt. Col. J.K. Akou-Adjei (Ewe) 10. 11. Commanding Officer of Forces Pay Office at Burma Camp – Lt. Col. A. K. Dzisi (Ewe) 12. 13. Commander 37 Military Hospital – Brigadier General P.Y. Kponyoh (Ewe) If the country has six (6) Infantry Battalions and four of the Commanding Officers are all Ewes then, there is a problem!!!
These appointments married with several others such as Chief of Staff, Commandant KAIPTC, Chief Staff Officer at Airforce Headquarters, Director General Joint Operations and Plans and Development and several Directors (i.e. Legal, Education, Discipline, Resettlement, pay, Army Training, etc.) are really worrisome.
The Cohesion, spirit de corpse and unity in the Ghana Armed Forces are being eroded by the positive discrimination in favor of Ewes and Northerners and negative discrimination against Akans especially those from Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Eastern Regions. Yet another posting that has raised eyebrows is that of Lt. Cdr D.G. Attachie, the junior brother of Lt. Col. L. L. Attachie. He has been posted to the Department of Defence Intelligence to be in-charge of vetting of potential recruits and officer cadets. This appointment is to help the NDC to continue with its fraudulent recruitment and enlistment of NDC foot soldiers, members and sympathizers into the GAF.
The promotion of Major C. K. Gbekle (an Ewe) to the rank of Lt. Col. is also another source of worry. Major Gbekle is only 12 years in the service and was promoted Major on 12th November 2004 (5½ years old in the rank). He is the only one picked from the very bottom of the ladder over several of his seniors. Eh! This is real Kokofu!!!!!