Lebanon: El Pais, UN peacekeepers illegally resold food

Anonymous source said most active were from Ghana and Italy

May 25 - UN peacekeepers with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) are at the centre of a food-trafficking operation in Lebanon, according to a report by Spanish daily El Pais online. It said that two investigations are currently underway: one by the Lebanon Economy Ministry and the other by the UN. According to the newspaper, food that was marked for the troops, and therefore not authorised for sale, has been found for sale in numerous local supermarkets.

UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti and Lebanon Economy Ministry General Director Alia Abbas were both contacted by El Pais and confirmed that investigations are underway, but didn't offer any additional details due to privacy.

"Ghana (with 870 Blue Helmets) and Italy (with 1,206 soldiers, and currently in charge) are the two most active battalions in the illegal resale of food, among the five that have been reported," said R.D., one of the newspaper's informants, and another "six international and local UNIFIL workers". "UNIFIL took the appropriate measures, within the mission and in strict cooperation with UN General Headquarters," Tenenti told El Pais in an email, and added that speculation shouldn't be made until the investigation is complete.

R.D. works for the Lebanon branch of Italian food supply company Es-Ko, which El Pais said "between 2006 and 2015 obtained multi-million-euro contracts for food distribution to UNIFIL troops".

El Pais estimated that the scam was worth around four million euros over a five-year period. 

Credit: ANSAmed

Mercenarism As A Threat To Democratic Consolidation In Ghana

Ghana, increasingly being perceived as a stable, democratic country and the ‘gateway to (West) Africa’, is scheduled to go to the polls in November 2016 to either maintain or change the democratically elected government of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Typical of an election year, major security concerns exists within civil society regarding a peaceful change-over of government. This security concern is informed by a turbulent history of coups détat and conflict spill-overs across borders of ECOWAS member States and now terror attacks.

Interviews granted and comments made by security analysts in the media, seminars and workshops in the recent past indicated no major security concerns in an election year but current developments seemingly negate this assertion. In fact, the general consensus during these seminars was that the security situation in the country was stable, but with a caveat that it is an election year and there is need for the security agencies to be on the alert and civil society to be only cautiously optimistic.

The response to this particular observation is twofold: firstly, that most participants in the security debate were aware of the instability in the sub-region and the possibility of consistent conflict spill-overs from the Western to the Eastern parts of West Africa. This is reflected in the systematic movement or gradation of the epi-centre of conflicts/civil wars from Senegal through the Mano River region to Cote d'Ivoire with Ghana or Togo appearing to be next in line.

Civil society, however, expects Ghana’s national security apparatus under Yaw Donkor NOT Baba Kamara to guard against any unforeseen destabilization.

Secondly, elections in Ghana are always characterized by widespread tension in which pronouncements by political elites band sensational headlines by the media, create the general fear, insecurity and tension.

Readers should not forget how the state played a dangerous propaganda game with the three South African ex-police officers, who were arrested in Ghana for offering illegal training to some members of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) including drivers and photographers.

Again, the security agencies are said to have these developments under control and must be fair NOT selective.

NB: Additional files from Mercenarism in West Africa

‘Protocol’ Recruitment – Ghana Armed Forces

On 23rd December, 2015, 501 Recruits undergoing training at the Army Recruit Training School (ARTS) at Shai Hills in the Greater Accra Region were dismissed and sent home packing. Colonel E. Aggrey, Director of Public Relations of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) in a statement explained that the recruits' behaviour was far reaching and inimical to the security of the state.

From my investigations and official sources, it is confirmed that some members of the recruits protested and demonstrated that the training they were undergoing was too strenuous and considered the training as punishment. The decision taken by the GAF was swift and justified militarily because the conduct of the recruits is nothing but mutiny and the Authorities must be commended.

Mutiny is a criminal conspiracy among a group of people (typically members of the military or the crew of any ship, even if they are civilians) to openly oppose or refuse to obey orders and try to take control away from the person who commands them. Mutiny is a very serious offence in the military because it shakes the very foundation of this proud institution.

Whilst commending the Authorities for their action we must not be oblivious of the harm that has been done and critically examine what happened to prevent a recurrence. No factory can manufacture quality products without quality raw materials and therefore the quality of human resources put at the disposal of the training institution needs to be questioned. Secondly, how could 501 people within such a short time develop such esprit de corps to pose a challenge to the military command without any fear or inhibitions?

The revelation that they are foot soldiers of the NDC answers it all because firstly, they know each other and therefore communicating among themselves was not difficult. Secondly they are not disciplined as they have demonstrated since NDC came to power and thirdly, they might have been recruited through the “protocol” system and therefore lack the requisite qualifications.

Recruit training is a program of physical and mental training required to convert an individual to become a soldier in the Ghana Army. The basic training is designed to be highly intense and challenging and in all countries, some recruits collapse and die in the course of training. The challenges come from the difficulty in physical training and the required quick psychological adjustment to an unfamiliar way of life. The basic training is divided into two parts namely, basic combat training and Individual training.

In basic training, individuals learn about the fundamentals of being a soldier, from combat techniques to the proper way to address a superior whilst the individual training covers rigorous physical training to prepare their bodies and minds for the eventual physical and mental strain of combat situations.

One of the most difficult and essential lessons learned is SELF-DISCIPLINE, as it introduces prospective soldiers to a strict daily schedule that entails many duties and high expectations for which most civilians are not immediately ready. For the individual to go through such rigorous training, he must first be committed and demonstrate the willingness to accept the hardships which will enable him or her to undergo the training. It is not a “job for the boys” but the individual must physically, mentally and psychologically be prepared to undergo the hardship. Complaints and other forms of protests are not entertained simply because no recruit has the right to demand the type of training he/she should be given.

Constitutionally, GAF is not a conscripted Army and Ghanaians opting to serve, do so on their own volition. The desire to serve does not guarantee admission but rather interest and commitment whilst the GAF reserves the right to select candidates in accordance with its rules, regulations and expectations.

To ensure quality, standardisation and avoid embarrassing situations, GAF has stringent rules and regulations to select prospective service personnel and its selecting committees include experienced psychologists who assess the mental dispositions of interested personnel to avoid recruiting people with mental delusions.

The GAF therefore owes Ghanaians some explanations as to how the stringent selection procedures for recruitment in the Army were compromised to pave the way for the admission of NDC foot soldiers knowing fully well that such an action would politicise the Armed Forces. I don't want to believe that the military authorities brought this mishap on themselves because if the recruits had been subjected to the normal selection processes not all the 501 personnel would have passed the test and the incident of indiscipline which took place could have been avoided.

This must be a lesson to all active service personnel who allegedly compromise their offices and duties for crumbs from the politicians' table in the form of promotions, postings to lucrative jobs and scholarships for their children's education in local and overseas institutions.

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From facts available, it could be concluded that the recruitment was done through the “protocol” system. “Protocol” is fundamentally a code of correct conduct or a procedure of getting things done in orderly ways but in Ghanaian parlance it is the indulgence in all kinds of malpractices just to satisfy the whims and caprices of the rich, politicians and powerful people in our society. Why would anybody attempt to pollute the fibre of such an important state institution like the Ghana Armed Forces?

A lot of admissions into second and tertiary institutions, nursing training institutions, employment into Government institutions and agencies and the most serious of them all recruitment into the security services notably GAF, the Police Service, Ghana Immigration Service, BNI etc have been made through the “protocol” system.

In admissions into training and academic institutions “protocol” means taking money from undeserving candidates and admitting them whilst neglecting and shamelessly denying intelligent candidates who are poor, admission into the institutions for one's selfish, personal and parochial interest. The harm such corrupt practice is doing to the training of our human resource as a nation is beyond description and space will not allow me to list them.

It may interest Ghanaians to know that on completion of the training of these recruits, they would have been posted to other units of the Ghana Army where they would have remained as pockets of cancerous cells and only God knows what they would do on receipt of instructions from their sponsors or “God Fathers” and therein lies the threat to national security. Could anyone also imagine the conduct of such troops deployed to maintain peace during the forthcoming elections which the NDC is trying desperately to win? Why would a Commanding Officer of an Army training institution, an epitome of discipline, compromise his position by calming down the nerves of recalcitrant recruits? Has he an agenda?

Surprisingly, the policy makers are aware of this cancerous practice (“protocol”) but they are doing nothing about it except mere rhetorics because they are the originators, partakers, beneficiaries and corroborators. The inability of the authorities to curb this ugly menace demonstrates how uncontrollably the moral fibre of our society has been allowed to degenerate whilst the evil deeds continue unabated.

Do Ghanaians want to build a society where mediocrity replaces meritocracy, where nepotism, cronyism and crass corruption become the order of the day? Today the declining nature of governance, the falling standards in education, the morale decadence, love for riches without hard work etc. which are seriously undermining our national development can largely be attributed to the ''protocol'' system which enables incompetents to be in charge of our affairs.

My humble advice to my colleagues who are still in service is that you perform your duties in accordance with the Constitution of Ghana, the rules and regulations the GAF has established to guide you in the performance of your duties. Resist all “protocol” recruitments and subject all future recruitments to the existing rules and regulations. Do not allow your own integrity to be undermined because you will need it when you retire and always be guided by your oath.

Some of us have retired for the past 25years but can hold our heads in high esteem amongst our colleagues in service or retired. Some retired officers entertain fears when visiting the Retired Officers Mess because of their past deeds and I can assure you that there is dignity in honourable service and be guided by the word INTERGRITY. When you join us on retirement, be sure you can look back and be proud of what you left behind.

2016 General elections will pose a security challenge but perform this duty with a high sense of integrity and ensure that Ghana remains calm and one nation after the elections.

The Government must muster courage to abolish the practice of “protocol” in admissions and employment to all institutions because Ghanaians are all equal and must be treated fairly at least that is what our Constitution says. “The world suffers a lot not because of the VIOLENCE of bad people but because of the SILENCE of good people.” (Napoleon)

credit: By Brig-Gen J. Odei

By Brig-Gen J. Odei

Read more at: https://www.modernghana.com/news/667511/protocol-recruitment-ghana-armed-forces.html

 

By Brig-Gen J. Odei

Read more at: https://www.modernghana.com/news/667511/protocol-recruitment-ghana-armed-forces.html

NPP AND THE GH₵ 7 MILLION ECOBANK ACCOUNT SAGA

The good old Holy Bible says money is the roots of all evil. In a fight to selfishly take clinical hold of money and possess power within organizations or societies have been very destructive and left body counts all over. Money brings great fortunes and powerful friends. It makes even a worse person becomes holy and talked-about. 

 

This fight for money and the desire to take control of an establishment is what is currently plaguing the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP). 

The fight to control the financial kitty and call shots within NPP is what has caused the internecine conflict in NPP since its Tamale Congress that saw Mr Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyapong clinching the position of Chairman and General-Secretary respectively. 

GH₵ 7 MILLION VANISHED INTO THIN AIR?

Currently, it is said that over GH₵ 7 million cash which belongs to the NPP is nowhere to be found. However, investigations has found out that the money, which was proceeds from nominations and filing fees of the recently held NPP`s 2015 parliamentary primaries, is lodged at Ecobank, with only the party`s Treasurer, Abankwa Yeboah and the First Vice Chairman, Freddy Blay as the only signatories.

An unimpeachable source at the financial committee of the NPP, maintains that these two party officers, who thump-chest as unalloyed Nana Akufo-Addo loyalists have unilaterally operated the Ecobank accounts on the blind side of the party. 

Abankwa Yeboah, who hates the guts of the resilient duo, Afoko and Agyapong, refused to deposit the GH₵ 7  million cash into the recognised party account and has always blushed aside any queries to the where-about of the party`s money. 

At the last NEC meeting, both Abankwaa and Blay refused to attend to answer questions on the money and how it is being utilized for party operations. Details of the accounts, how much has been withdrawn and the purposes of the withdrawals shall be brought to the attention of the party very soon.

HOW IT STARTED

It is a public knowledge that Afoko and Agyapong run a vigorous campaign on their own merit against massive opposition and attacks from the die-hard supporters of party`s flag-bearer, Nana Addo.

The two were tagged as seriously anti-Nana with a grand agenda to ensure that Nana never attains the political Holy Grail in Ghana. This propaganda was brewed from diabolical elements from Nana`s camp to create enmity and serious loss at the Tamale Congress. But unfortunately, for the heavyweight party detractors and their supporters/underlings, the duo convincingly thrashed their opponents to sit in the positions they occupied today. 

One of the major reasons the two won their positions was their campaign message to the delegates to ensure proper administration of the party cash to avoid external manipulations, diversions and misapplications.

This is because the party`s financial administration during the tenure of the last executives came under monstrous accusations of impropriety, high-jacking and starving of the headquarters funds for its day-to-day activities.

This situation was caused by the creation of the party`s campaign team which was headquartered at Danquah Institute (DI). Every party activities and money went into the DI campaign office where selected members of the Campaign Team apply and distributed funds for electioneering and campaign activities.

NPP`s, Asylum Down party headquarters became a white elephant, as party executives gallivants between DI and Asylum down to eke money out of the Campaign team for the headquarters. 

This dichotomy of DI and Asylum Down, supported by Jake Okanta Obetsebi-Lamptey led Executives caused serious disquietude and general aversion for Jake and his team. Many party supporters saw it as serious weakness on Jake and his team for allowing DI to boss around the legitimate party headquarters and its personnel around like zombies. 

It was against this background that made Afoko and Agyapong very popular prior to the Tamale Congress. The popular feeling was that, the headquarters must take its proper role in the campaign, as the nerve center and not an appendage to the creation of the flag-bearer`s private campaign office. 

Afoko and Agyapong, on the quiet campaigned on the twin-theme of back to headquarters campaign team (centralized campaign from Headquarters) and clinical and effective administration of the party`s funds. This message caught up with many delegates, including many pro-Nana Addo loyalists and successfully quelled the morbid propaganda against the duo. 

The message made an avalanche of Nana loyalist/delegates casted their votes for Afoko and Agyapong, because they wanted headquarters (the elected party executives) to run their Campaign and not private party entity, DI.  They also saw Afoko and Agyapong as strong characters that can stand against certain personalities around Nana Addo who would not allow the 2012 DI campaign to transmogrify at all, compared to Jake and his team members like reactionary paper-tiger and master of misguided statements, Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie aka Sir John as well as some new entrants they cannot trust. They gladly voted overwhelmingly for the duo.

THE REASON FOR OPENING FRESH ECOBANK ACCOUNT

For the grandmasters and opportunists around Nana Addo who have successfully assisted him to lose two national elections, the entry of Agyapong and Afoko was a massive blow. Their major fear was how the duo had sounded the siren that they will ensure centralization of campaign with the headquarters as the base and strict application of party funds. That decision, if they allow Afoko and Agyapong to implement would spell doom for their very powerful roles, influence, loyalty and existence in the party. 

For without Nima/DI private campaign office of the flag-bearer where will their influence and visibility in NPP be? So the need to fight against Afoko and Agyapong to maintain the status quo or incur their wrath started immediately after they were declared winners at Tamale.

Sir John, after blissfully losing his position to Kwabena Agyapong quickly warmed his way into the hearts of the pro-Nana Addo inner circle to be part of the grand agenda to make Afoko and Agyapong and anybody in the executives that support and their tenure, very miserable and problematic. 

Series of impatient and bad decisions like sacking of headquarters securities, relieve of the positions of Reverend Opare-Hammond and Perry Okudzeto as well as poor human relations side of the duo, gave smoking guns to their internal opponents to start their inglorious campaign of image assassination, destruction and ultimately impeachment or votes of no confidence. 

When Chairman Mahama Adams of Upper East was murdered in an acid attack and an attempt to effectively utilize it to remove Agyapong and Afoko lost its vigor, a grand design was couched to exclude the duo from any financial transaction of the party. This is to ensure that the duo are made useless in their position as loyalists will continue to call the shots for the party, even if they are crooks, buffoons or damn incompetent.

To achieve their aims, the pro-Nana loyalists advised Abankwaa Yeboah to open the new Ecobank account, without informing either Afoko, Agyapong or Sammy Crabbe. 

This money in this account is being used for party activities unknown to the Chairman and his General Secretary and some members of the NEC. This is an affront to NPP`s own constitution.

It is a shame that the very people who claim to be Nana`s loyalists and gallivant around accusing Agyapong and Afoko of not being team players and doing things without involving all the party folks, are now engaged in such a serious clandestine divisive posture and taking unilateral decisions without the some members of the NEC. 

So clearly, NPP doesn’t have any friction, the friction are created by selfish individuals using uninformed youths and party folks and their own media houses to constantly attack the duo to make them become a pariah in NPP. 

The reason is simple: money, power and assured future positions in Nana`s government or when the party loses, ensure their re-elections. For now this loyalists have won, but in politics, no condition is permanent.

Time will expose some of these so-called loyalists using the flag-bearer`s name and personal proximity to execute their own agenda. Some have started disgracing themselves already as money taken out for certain activities never reached the beneficiaries. It has been swept under the carpet, but like pregnancy it will surely come out for all to see!