We wish to congratulate the leader of our community, His Excellency President Nana Addo, on his maiden “Meet-the-Media-Encounter” that took place on Tuesday 18th July 2017. It was unprecedented in the annals of the country’s political development since it took place within the first six months of the tenure of an incumbent President.
It is true that His Excellency John Kufuor, the former President, was the first to introduce that voluntary act of accountability and submission to the “authority of the electorate.” It was during one of such encounters that the late NDC serial caller/communicator Dr. Asemfofro asked the infamous question on corruption and bribery.
Our major concern with the “Media Encounter” was the anxiety expressed by Ghanaians over the current security situation in the country. All well-meaning patriotic Ghanaians would agree that there are serious challenges with the current security situation in the country, even though part of the causes of the current situation could be traced to the doorsteps of the NDC administration especially to the Presidency of Mr. John Mahama.
There is no doubt that the NDC administration in its madness to retain power allowed the influx of all types of arms and ammunitions into the country. Some of the arms were allowed to be smuggled into the country by the Political Authorities at the time as the NDC empowered and armed its foot soldiers, agents, officials, executives, members, supporters and sympathizers.
Others were imported into the country using the state’s security services. There were instances where arms and ammunitions imported in the name of the Ghana Armed Forces, for instance, shipped through the Takoradi Habour and cleared by the Armed Forces under the eagle eyes of the Military Police were escorted to private destinations on reaching the Base Ammunition Depot (BAD) at Tema near Michel Camp. These arms and ammunitions and several others found their way into the homes and caches of prominent NDC members. These weapons and ammunitions are alleged to have been sent to some of the conflict areas in the country while reasonable quantities are in and around the big towns and cities such as Accra, Kumasi, Tema, Sekondi- Takoradi, Tamale and Koforidua.
Victims of some of the security challenges have been security personnel, politicians and, with all due respect, some ordinary Ghanaians. Hence the anxiety and concerns for the general security situations by all well- meaning and patriotic Ghanaians.
Several factors and reason may be responsible for or adduced to explain the situation. One of them could be the calibre and attitude of personnel manning some of the positions that are directly responsible for Security and the Security Services. They include Ministers responsible for National Security, Interior and Defence. Security Capos, experts and professionals holding top, middle and lower levels of security positions and appointments may also be part of the challenges confronting the nation as far as the current security situation is concerned.
The cases of the Ministers of National Security, Interior and Defence call for special security and comments. The Minister of National Security with his Security Coordinator are to be on top of issues relating to national security, oversee the activities of all the security service in an effective and efficient manner taking into account the national interest and loyalty to the NPP administration.
Certain occurrences give an impression that some security personnel are sabotaging the NPP administration. The presence of some very known NDC activists, members and sympathizers at certain critical positions in the Security Services, the Ministries responsible for them, Departments, Agencies, Authorities and Boards responsible for specific security functions and activities may also be responsible for some security lapses and challenges confronting the nation.
These NDC moles are in bed and partnership with the NDC machinery (executives, former ministers, parliamentary and functionaries and Members of Parliament). The continuous retention of those NDC moles in the strategic and sensitive positions and appointments is a major contributory factor to the general security challenges confronting the nation.
These NDC moles are collaborating with their appropriate structures, systems and personnel in the NDC to ensure the failure of the NPP administration and the return of NDC to executive and legislative power in 2020. That is the motivating factor pushing the NDC moles in the Security Services to sabotage or at best remain indifferent to the security challenges facing the nation. With that type of attitude, it is only prudent and proper to ensure that only personnel committed to the national and NPP causes are put or retained in critical areas of security.
Failure to ensure that and trying to please everybody through “father- for- all and Nkabom” policies could spell doom for the NPP administration.
It is against this background that we proceed to examine the position- holding structures and some personnel at the Ministries, Departments, Agencies, Authorities, Boards, Offices and Headquarters of some security institutions.
We are reliably informed that the Minister for National Security is dinning, wining and in bed with NDC former security personnel as serving NDC security personnel to the neglect of fruitful NPP personnel. Persons who were very powerful and influential in the security system and were stationed at the National Security Secretariat (Blue gate) are the ones still calling the shots.
There is the reported case of a certain Alhaji who is believed to be now more powerful than the case was during the tenure of this own party, NDC. It is asserted that about 80% of the personnel working with or for the Honourable Minister for National Security are retained or carry over from the Mills/ Mahama administration.
The NPP presence in the Minister’s scheme of events is just about 20% or less. That explains why the NDC is still in control and is calling the shots.
It is common place at the Blue-gate that the Francis Pokus and the TTQs of yester NDC years are the Kingpins of national security in today’s Nana Addo administration. Certainly that does not augur well for our current security especially when it is believed that those personalities are the shadow Ministers for National Security and are the ones who take sensitive decisions for the substitute Minister.
Any wonder that the Minister for National Security went to the defence of Mr. Kofi Adams against officials and agents of the NPP administration, to the extent that Mr. Kofi Adams who has not been able to prove the sources of his income, the taxes that he pays or paid on those sources of income, has sued professional security appointment holders and political activists of the NPP for defamation over the confiscation of government vehicles.
As if that were not enough, the Minister of Defence has surrounded himself with only enemies or rather opponents of the NPP. The first faux- pas of the Defence Minister was the appointment of Major Moses Nanyun Nankpan (GH/3257) as his Military Assistant (MA). Major MN Nankpan is a special Duty Commissioned officer born on 6th June 1969 and commissioned into the Pay Corps on 3rd Septembers 2004.
Before he was commissioned, Major MN Nankpan had been with the Military Police and the Pay Corps as an Other Rank. The major criterion for his selection as a Military Assistant is the fact that he is a KOKOMBA citizen just as the Honourable Member of Parliament for Bimbilla and Defence Minister. There is no doubt about the party affiliation of Major MN Nankpan. He is a dyed in wool NDC member. His Kokomba friends and family relations could testify to that. The funds provided by Major MN Nankpan to support the NDC financially and the roles he played to persuade voters of his home area to vote for the NDC are all available to be provided at the right time.
Most NPP Kokomba citizens who know the roles and activities of Major MN Nankpan were and are still surprised about the Defence Minister’s choice and feel betrayed by him. What the ministers’ Kokomba relations and friends are saying is that the Minister is only taking advantages of his long standing acquaintance with Moses and the fact that both of them, as young boys used to “feed on” a now forgotten hero. The worse of all is that now the Defence Minister is working against the interest of that forgotten hero in his “Kokombaland” and prefers some other persons to be appointed DCE and other parliamentary candidate over this extremely loyal and committed member of the NPP.
What an unfair world and the ingratitude of some men when they gain authority and power!!!
The real issue of Major Moses Nanyun Nankpan is that he is unfit for the role of Military Assistant. He has not had any proper command and staff training in the military to be able to give appropriate pieces of advice to the minister. Thus, Moses lacks competence and skills commensurate with his appointment. He is only riding in a brand new Toyota land cruiser V8 to show that the Kokomba solidarity, loyalty and unity are real. The shortcomings of Moses are reflecting in the speeches and appearance of the Defence Ministers at Military function, such as durbars with a troops and meetings with the Military High Command.
Already, there are suspicions that the Defence Minister is overwhelmed by the presence of the current corp of General most of whom are older than the Minister and are well read, knowledgeable, proficient and very professional in their approaches to duty. Most of the Generals and Colonels do not feel comfortable with Moses’ appointment and wished that at least a Lieutenant Colonel occupied that position.
Again, the problem with the Minister of Defence is his retention of all NDC appointed personnel at the Ministry of Defence (Square). Both civil and military personnel that the Minister inherited from Dr. Kumbour are still at post and now feel more powerful and influential than during the NDC era.
The Chief Director, who was posted to the Ministry of Defence in November 2016 without any prior appointment of equivalent status and roles, has been retained and is inexperienced both at the Ministry of Defence and as a Chief Director.
Consequently he is grappling with very sensitive and critical matters such as monthly emoluments of the Ghana Armed Forces, payment for contractors, sourcing for and release of peacekeeping funds for troops and essential logistics for peace support operations.
In recent times, on two occasions the pay and allowances for troop and civilians employees were unjustifiably delayed. Owing to his naivety and the insensitivity of the Defence Financial Controller and the Chief of Staff to the welfare and wellbeing of troops and civilian employees, some forms of agitations and concerns have been and are being raised about the current NPP administration.
These officials are deliberately sabotaging the NPP administration by creating disaffection and dissatisfaction in the barracks.
Already the NDC has used propaganda to paint a general picture in the barracks and on the minds of troops that that are more concerned about the welfare, well- being and operational needs of security personnel than the NPP. The NDC used and continue to use unlawful and unorthodox means to deal with issues affecting the security services. The NDC condones unlawful acts of security personnel and even provide them “security protection” when they err even when they act ultra vires or in matters in which they have no mandate at all.
Consequently, the undisciplined security personnel jubilate each time the NDC is in power as they are able to misbehave with impunity. But the statistics and pieces of evidence are there to show that the NPP improved upon the salaries and allowances, pensionable emoluments, logistics and infrastructure during President Kufuor’s time more than the entire 19 years-rule of the PNDC and first NDC and the second NDC regimes.
In nominal terms it may be argued by the propagandist in the NDC that they improved upon the circumstances of troops and civilians more than the NPP. But, using real values, value for money and input- output analyses, it would be obvious to all well-meaning Ghanaians that the NPP is several miles ahead. Think about the Embraer aircraft, hangars at Accra and Takoradi Airforce Bases and all other highly inflated sole sourcing contracts involving foreign and local currencies and one needs no soothsayer to judge in favour of the NPP.
It is for some of those reasons that members of the Patriotic Concerned Officers and Men (PACOM) are worried over the developments at the SQUARE and the attitude of the Minister of Defence towards concerns of NPP supporters, members and sympathizers in the Ministry of Defence, the Ghana Armed Forces and the Civilian Establishment (CE).
It is very sad that the Honorable Minister has surrounded himself with only NDC officers, men and civilians at the square. A major mistake made by the Minister was the removal of Commodore Asante Bonsu Osei as the Principal General Staff Officer (PGSO) at the Ministry of Defence.
The appointment of Brigadier General Musah Whajah, a well- known NDC member, to replace Commodore AB Osei was a miscalculation. Brigadier General M Whajah has been a member of the NDC as an Other Rank Ex Boys’ Company Soldier
As an Other Rank and Officer, Brigadier General M Whajah at various times of the PNDC and first NDC regime of President Rawlings, served at the Tema Harbour as Security Coordinator.
The pertinent question is “who would appoint a political opponent into such a critical and important appointment?”
Again, who in his right sense would appoint a General Officer Commanding the Southern Command of the Ghana Army (GOC S/Comd) a political appointment? It was because the NDC government had so much confidence in Brigadier General M Whajah that he was appointed the GOC S/Command in the run up to the 2016 elections.
Sadly, when he was found unsuitable to continue in appointment as GOC Southern Command, the Defence Minister with open arms hailed him and is glorifying him as the PGSO MOD, willing and fighting for him to be promoted Major General.
In addition to Brigadier General M Whajah, another dyed-in-wool NDC member and an active member of the mafia (partnering the Adokpas, Ametepis, Agbekas, Yegbes, Gbekles etc), Brigadier General Edward Edem Dovi Mawunyo Fiawoo (GH/2026) has been retained as the Judge Advocate General (JAG) of the Ghana Armed Forces and is a permanent staff at the Square. Is it not suicidal that such a loyal NDC member would be retained to be in charge of all contractual and other agreements involving the Ministry of Defence and the Ghana Armed Forces?
Already he has recruited his cronies who are all NDC members (about six lawyers) who are staff of the office of the JAG. This General was so indifferent to the change in government that he therefore chose to be outside Ghana for most parts of the time between January and May 2017. He has been taking advantage of the system to pursue a doctorate degree in law at the blind side and expense of the Ghana Armed Forces. He has not been on study leave but has managed to pursue the LLM degree in London and hence his frequent visits to the UK. The General was aware of all the doubtful contracts, Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs) involving the Ghana Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence on one hand and the NDC looters on the other hand under the guise of private public partnership especially in the case of lands, construction, acquisition, rehabilitations and repairs.
Yet he could not be bothered. Why should such a General be retained at the Ministry of Defence to the extent he is one of the power brokers?
As if that was not enough, Brigadier General CE Edjeani-Afenu who is using Brigadier General MKG Ahiaglo’s second wife to fight her fight has also been added to the list of NDC faithfuls at the Ministry of Defence. Why did the authorities not second her to the Controller and Accountant General’s Department as was done to Brigadier General Enusah Abdulai when he was placed in similar circumstances after he had been promoted Brigadier General while there was an incumbent Defence Financial Controller (DFC) in the person of General Yaw Nyamekye Yeboah?
The next posting of an officer to the Ministry of Defence that worries members of PACOM is that of Colonel SK Adorkor. This is an officer who alleged to have been involved in recruitment malpractices as the Director Manpower Planning (DMP) at the Department of Personnel Administration.
Not only did he recruit mainly NDC members, supporters, foot-soldiers and sympathizers into the Armed Forces but most importantly he could not account for monies that accrued to the Ghana Armed Forces by way of the sale of sim cards for the applications on-line and the Advances he collected from the Forces Pay Regiment (FPR).
Yet, he has been accepted as the Army Liaison Officer (Ministry of Defence CD) for the second time. He was first appointed as the Army Liaison Officer to Ministry of Defence on 29th September 2014 until the second quarter of 2016 when he was made the Director Manpower Planning to replace Brigadier General Osabutey.
There is no doubt that Colonel SK Adorkor is a dyed in wool member of the NDC. Yet, surprisingly, the Defence Minister wants him to be promoted Brigadier General. As a result his Run-Out Date which should be 8th November 2017, as he was born on 8t November 1960, has been extended by one year during which there might be vacancies for him and others to be promoted.
…to be continued in next edition
I thought this was going to be a useful piece but how wrong was I to waste my time on a thrash from a coward officer. The fingerprints are all over. This is dubious, uncultured, baseless and a desperate attempt to divide the rank and file of our noble Armed Forces. And this officer must bow his head in shame. It is said that the sun does not need to announce itself. Men’s work and deeds announces them. Anyway, as the good book, the Bible says, by their fruits we shall know them. Good morning
Moderation???? I see. Did your thrash also went through moderation???
These are the same people who were attending meetings with others NOT to see the NPP win power. Whether somebody is behind it I not, soldier on for truth hurts and it hurts hard.