It is with great pleasure, joy, satisfaction and a
high sense of relief that we welcome William of the House of Akuffo-Addo,
Second of His Name, 5th President of the 4th Republic of Ghana,
Commander-In-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, Protector of the Realm covering
the 10 regions and its land, water and air space, Defender of the Constitution
of the Republic, Speaker of Orgasmic English and Father of Elephants.
As the President of the Republic of Ghana and
Commander In Chief of Ghana’s Armed Forces, Nana automatically becomes the new
leader of our community. We have just said bye bye to the “one dollar”
President.
It is trite knowledge that the out-gone leader was
the most disappointing head of our community. Apart from the incompetence,
corruption and mismanagement of all national resources that our former leader
exhibited, he has left a much divided community.
The divide-and rule tactics that our former leader,
John Mahama adopted have polarized all the Security Services along NDC and NPP
lines. The hawks in the NDC ensured that clear lines were drawn between “us”
(the NDC) and “them” (the NPP).
Our community had become a “policed” place. Members
of our community had to look over their shoulders before speaking or else they
would be reported to the “powers-that- be” to be victimized. The machineries of
the National Security Secretariat and the Defence Intelligence had been turned
into agencies for oppression and suppression rather than providing protection
for members of our community.
With the Komlagas, Mustaphas, Agbekas, Ametepis,
Boimahs, Dzisis, Allohs, Beick-Baffours, Kporkus, Adus, Adokpas, Ayamdos,
Adetis, Fiawvos, Datsas, Fianyas, Seidu-Adams, Issakas, Adorkors, Akou-Adjeis,
Gbedawos, Ntems, Parbeys, Gbetanus, Gagakumas and several others coordinating,
planning and executing well defined policies of inclusion, favouring the babies
of the “Umbrella”, and exclusion destroying the perceived babies of the
elephant, our community lost all its mechanisms for team work, cohesion esprit
de corps and comradeship.
Indeed, the bonds of brotherliness and friendship
that were the hallmarks of “barracks life” had been broken by the deliberate
strategies and tactics of the triangulation of Seidu-Adams, Senchim,
Akou-Adjei/Beick-Baffour in the military. As a matter of fact, as soon as
Brigadier General Seidu Adams took over from Commodore TS Appiah in 2009 as the
Military Secretary while John Mills was alive, he partnered Colonel Senchim,
who was then the over-aged Army Secretary, to destroy most of the finest Akan
Generals and Colonels. Most Akan Generals (the likes of Emmanuel Okyere,
Richard Debrah, Oppong- Kyekyeku, RO Sackey, Owusu-Ababio, Oppong- Otchere, Dan
Frimpong, JS Nkrumah, JK Forkuo and several others) and a few non-Akans
suspected to belong to the elephant fraternity were rushed to the abattoir for
slaughter while in their places criminally-minded, incompetent,
morally-corrupt, professionally inept, bankrupt in ideas but highly
ethnocentric officers were appointed and prompted to the enviable ranks of
Generals and Colonels to promote, enhance and sustain the hidden agenda of the
aforementioned triangulation.
The story was much the same during the short-lived
and uneventful period of then Colonel Francis Vib-Sanziri as the Army
Secretary.
These architects of Ewe and Northern hegemonies
wanted the best for themselves and their kinsmen but left the “others” to
perish and rot. Only the best appointments were given to “themselves” while the
“others” got the carcass.
Again, the best courses were shared among
“themselves” while the “others” got the irrelevant courses. The high profile
courses (career and professional) were reserved for “themselves”. The smartest
thing that General Seidu-Adams did was to ensure that he got the appointment of
Defence, Military, Naval and Air Attaché (DMNAA) to Washington DC in the United
States of America.
A similar
strategy was adopted by Colonel Johnson Kofi Akou-Adjei (GH/2268). Having
destroyed a lot of Akan officers, Colonel JK Akou-Adjei got himself selected to
go to the War College in USA where he ensured that Brigadier General Alhassan
Abu got the appointment of DMNAA in order to cater for his welfare and
well-being.
Thus, in rapid succession, a Gonja brother of the
out-gone One Dollar President hands over to another Northerner as DMNAA
Washington DC!
The details of several other appointments that
became, and continue to be, the preserve of the two cabals under the presidency
of our former leader-as Vice President and Chairman of the Armed Forces Council
under President Mills; President to complete John Mills’ mandate and President
in his own right from January 7th 2013 to January 6 2017-would be
given.
For instance, how on earth could our former leader
grant Colonel Paul Seidu Tanye-Kulono (GH/2495) study leave for two years to do
a Masters Degree in Law in the United States of America just before he left
office?
Would that “reward” not deepen the suspicion that
ordinary and well informed members of the Ghanaian society have that our former
leader probably had a reckless disregard for the life of President John Mills?
Members of our community should not forget that then
Lieutenant Colonel PS Tanye-Kulono was the President’s Security Coordinator
(PSC) at the Osu Castle during the “Mysterious” death of President Mills.
The obvious question that objective-minded Ghanaians
asked was “where were the Security Officers of the President on that fateful
Tuesday 24th July 2012?”
Obviously, the PSC Lieutenant Colonel PS
Tanye-Kulono, the ADC, Colonel EL Lawson and Liaison Officer at the Chief of
Staff’s Office at Osu Castle, Colonel LL Attachie stand accused.
Interestingly, the ADC Colonel El Lawson is also on
official duties in the USA.
Apart from promoting then Lieutenant Colonels LL
Attachie and PS Tanye-Kulonyo to Colonels, the latter has been rewarded with a
local course in Law in Ghana and a Masters Degree in law in USA ostensibly to
assist him to defend himself when the Enquiry or Commission into the
“unnatural” death of Prof. JEA Mills is inaugurated!
It is obvious from some of the appointments,
promotions, selection for courses (local and foreign) and discrimination in
releases that various forms of anomalies, unfair treatment and victimization
have occurred in the Ghana Armed Forces.
Similar things have happened in the other Security
Services, namely the Police Service, the Prisons Service, Fire Service and
Immigration Service.
Some of the officers, who were wrongly victimized
after 7th January, 2009 are now Colonel Joseph Aduko Aphour-a
Northerner perceived to be a sympathizer of the NPP- and Lieutenant Colonel
Adjaye Gaisie (Rtd).
The two gentlemen were the Commanding Officers of
the 6th and 1st Infantry Battalions in Tamale and Tema
respectively during the 2008 general elections. As Commanding Officers, they
had over all command and control responsibilities over troops in their Areas of
Responsibility, the Northern and Eastern Regions respectively.
Because they performed their duties professionally
and therefore stepped on the toes of the National Democratic Congress whose
rigging machinery, animalistic behaviour of violence, brutalities and
atrocities and intimidation were in full gear in various parts of the Northern and
Eastern Regions in the 2008 general elections, they became the enemies of the
umbrella fraternity immediately John Mills was sworn into office.
Then Lieutenant Colonel JA Aphour lost his command
of the 6th Battalion and was posted to the Army Headquarters without
any appointment and office initially. His command over 6 Battalion was thus
very short-lived lasting less than a year having been appointed the Commanding
Officer in 2008.
As if that was not enough “punishment” Lieutenant
Colonel JA Aphour was sent to a very volatile mission area for peace support
operation for a very long period before he was “cleared” to return to his home
establishment.
Since then, he has been languishing at the
Department of Logistics at the General Headquarters.
If the case of Lieutenant Colonel JA Aphour was
undesirable, then that of Lieutenant Colonel Adjaye Gaisie was more pathetic,
bizarre and painful.
For the various roles that he played to deny the
likes of Former Honorable Baba Jamel and others enough room to maneuver in
their bid to win Parliamentary Seats and enough votes in the Presidential
elections, Lieutenant Colonel Adjaye Gaisie was earmarked for destruction.
A well orchestrated plan was hatched by the
Attachies, Lawsons, Gbekles and Tanye-Kulunos. He was accused of alienating
some of the military lands near the 1st Battalion at Michel Camp to
some private estate developers and thereby appropriating some to himself. He
was denied an opportunity to send his battalion on peace support operations in
Chad and stripped of his command. He was hurriedly posted to Ghana Armed Forces
Command and Staff College (GAFCSC) as a member of the Directing Staff during
the tenure of office of General Samuel Anum Odotei as the Chief of Army Staff.
Within a very short time, he was attached to the
headquarters of the Southern Command of the Ghana Army at Teshie for a Board of
Inquiry to be instituted against him. Various intimidating and humiliating
processes and procedures were adopted against Lieutenant Colonel Gaisie in
order to extract evidence from him. At that time Brigadier General Ahiaglo and
Major General Adinkrah (a Ga-Adangbe) had been appointed GOC Southern Command
and Chief of Army Staff respectively.
For several months, various forms of summary of
evidence, Extract of Evidence, examination and cross-examination of witnesses
including Chiefs and Officials of Estate Companies took place. It was obvious
from the time lines of the investigation that the “powers-that-be” were
patiently waiting for the poor officer, who has served his nation very
professionally and diligently, to reach his compulsory retiring age in order to
be released at the age of 53 years.
With alacrity, Colonel Akou-Adjei and his brother
Commodore Beick-Baffour got the hard working officer released from the Armed
Forces “honorably”. The question that agitated the minds of the objective
members of our community was that if indeed there was enough evidence of
probative value would the authorities release him honorably without a trial at
the General Court Martial as they had threatened from the beginning? Certainly
No.
These two examples are just the tip of the iceberg
as far as unfair treatment, victimization, witch-haunting and injustices are
concerned in the crusade by the NDC powerbrokers in the Ghana Armed Forces
against their perceived political opponents.
In order to perpetuate these types of selective
justices, unfair and ill-treatment, the politically-minded appointments and
promotions were made on 1st July 2016 and 2nd November
2016. The promotions of Major Generals William Azure Ayamdo and Sampson Kudjo
Adeti in particular and those of Air Vice Marshal Maxwell Mantserbi-Tei Nagai
and Rear Admiral Peter Kofi Faidoo and several others in general were aimed at
perpetuating the “old order” of the P/NDC.
It may be deceptive to think that only Major General
SK Adeti is the ‘red devil’. He might have been open enough to attract the
attention of members of our community and the nation at large through his
actions especially in the run up to the Parliamentary and Presidential
elections of 2016.
There is no doubt that the main architects of
rigging in favour of our former leader and his NDC using the military machinery
and other coercive forces of the State were many and very powerful. However,
some others such as Generals Adokpa, Fiawoo, Ametepi, Agbeka, Ayer, Ofori,
Kporku, Boimah and Adu were also deeply involved in various forms of
inappropriate and unprofessional practices that could have landed our peaceful
nation into chaos and disintegration.
The master strategists managed to put their men at
the helm of all the affairs of strategic and tactical importance before the
elections. Some of such appointments include the Military Secretary which was
given on silver platter to Brigadier General Christopher Kwadwo Gyasensir, to
continue from where Commodore Beick-Baffour left off.
Both General Gyasensir and Commodore Beick-Baffour
are from the Mid-North Volta Region Area, have and pursue the same interests.
With their own in charge of Joint Operations, Support Services Brigade, Army
Training Comd, PRxD, Logistics and Defence Financial Controller, the stage has
been prepared, nourished and activated to ensure that even though the NPP has
won political power, the NDC would continue to pull the strings and call the
shots. But is that what the real and positive changes are about? No.
