The desperate attempt by the NDC to accuse the NPP Administration of His Excellency Nana Akufo-Addo of “Stinking Akanization of the Ghana Armed Forces” cannot and should not wash as the facts on the grounds show that appointments and promotions in the Ghana Armed Forces today reflect our national identity and character as opposed to those of the yester years of President John Mahama.
Thus, it is completely false that “there is a marginalization and stinking discrimination against Ewes and Northerners in particular….”
Neither is it true that “for very obvious anti Ewe/Northerners reasons, very senior officers from these two ethnic groups have been relegated and reduced to occupying very obscure and irrelevant offices…”
These statements from the NDC are completely false, unfortunate and disturbing as their main objective is to create tension, disaffection and discontent in the Ghana Armed Forces.
Fortunately, there are more right thinking persons in the Ghana Armed Forces, in particular, and the Ghanaian society as a whole than the NDC thinks. It was because the NDC especially under President Mahama, disrespected the majority of Ghanaians and never credited them with intelligence, analytical brains and reasoning power that they suffered a humiliating defeat, as a ruling party, in the December 2016 elections.
The NDC relies heavily on lies, deceit and propaganda for survival and fails to recognize that the more they continue to engage in that the more they alienate the well informed and right thinking members of the Ghanaian society from their party.
Our previous publication showed the major appointments and positions that the Mahama Administration left the Akufo-Addo Administration as far as the Ghana Armed Forces are concerned.
Since the NDC started with the “very senior officers”, we have limited our discussions so far to the Chief of Defence Staff, Service Commanders, Commandants of Training Institutions, Chief of Staff, Officers at the Service Headquarters, Departmental Heads, Director Generals, Formation/Base Commanders, Deputy Commandants, Commanders, Directors and Commanding Officers with ranks of Colonels and above and their equivalents in the Navy and the Airforce.
As a matter of fact, if the NDC meant well, they would have realized that on the whole there are Ewes, in particular, and a reasonable number of “Northerners” in terms of equity and equality occupying very sensitive Command Positions. Perhaps, it is even an under-statement to write that the Ghana Armed Forces have more Ewes as an ethnic group than any other group proportionately.
Whether we use ethnic or regional balance, there are more Ewes than any other group within the Officer Corps and the Other Ranks of the Ghana Armed Forces. For most of the ranks, there are more Ewes than any other ethnic group proportionately. Thus, on regional and ethnic basis, there are more Ewes than any other ethnic group or region in terms of equity and equality. This assertion can be verified scientifically using the last population censuses of 2010 and 2000.
We would be compelled to cite figures, names and appointments of all the senior officers of the Ghana Armed Forces as at 7th January 2017 and compare them with the same statistics as at October 2017 when this infantile, lunatic and destructive effusions are being made by the NDC as a desperate attempt to distract attention from the good policies of the NPP Administration of His Excellency Nana Akufo-Addo.
Instead of thanking Nana Akufo-Addo for the Free SHS policy and the enhanced School Feeding Programme which are enabling a lot of the vulnerable children in the Volta and Northern Regions to get good education, the NDC is waging a futile tribal war.
Having looted our resources with impunity, the NDC is hiding behind an injustified “tribal war” so that when the day of accountability comes, they will link the state’s actions to the persecution of some “perceived enemies”.
This crusade by the NDC will fail just as their previous attempts haved failed. It can never be true that President Nana Akufo-Addo, the current President, would turn Ewes and Northerners in the Ghana Armed Forces into third Class citizens as the NDC is preaching.
For the sake of emphasis we wish to restate the topmost hierarchy of the Ghana Armed Forces as at 7th January 2017 and as at 24th October 2017 before we move downwards to the ranks of Brigadier General and Colonel and their equivalents in the Navy and Airforce for all and sundry to see the lies from the NDC.
As at 7 January 2017
- Chief of Defence Staff- Air Marshal M Samson-Oje (Northerner, Northern Region)
- Chief of Army Staff-Major General OB Akwa (Akan, Eastern Region)
- Chief of Naval Staff-Rear Admiral PK Faidoo (half Akan, half Ewe, Central Region and Volta Region)
- Chief of Air Staff-Air Vice Marshal MM Nagai (Krobo, Eastern Region)
- Commandant MATS-Major General WA Ayamdo (Northerner, Upper East Region)
- Commandant GAFCSC- Rear Admiral S Amoama (Akan, Eastern Region)
- Commandant KAIPTC-Air Vice Marshal-GS Evans (Ewe, Volta Region)
- Chief of Staff-Major General SK Adeti-(Ewe, Volta Region)
As at 24 October 2017
- Chief of Defence Staff- Lieutenant General OB Akwa (Akan, Eastern Region)
- Chief of Army Staff-Major General WA Ayamdo (Northerner, Upper East Region)
- Chief of Naval Staff-Rear Admiral PK Faidoo (half Akan, half Ewe, Central Region and Volta Region)
- Chief of Air Staff-Air Vice Marshal MM Nagai (Krobo, Eastern Region)
- Commandant MATS-Major General W Omane-Agyekum (Akan, Eastern
- Commandant GAFCSC- Rear Admiral S Amoama (Akan, Eastern Region)
- Commandant KAIPTC-Air Vice Marshal-GS Evans (Ewe, Volta Region)
- Chief of Staff-Rear Admiral M Beick-Baffour (Ewe, Volta Region)
We now proceed to list and mention names of “very senior officers” of ranks of Brigadier General and their equivalents and their positions starting from the General Headquarters as follows:
- Director General Joint Operations-Brigadier General NK Kporku (Ewe, Volta Region)
- Director General Logistics- Air Commodore JSK Dzamefe (Ewe, Volta Region)
- Director General Training –Air Commodore IR Wayoe (Krobo, Eastern Region)
- Director General IPSO- Brigadier General F Vib-Sanziri (Northerner, Upper West Region)
- Director General Medical-Brigadier General RK Ametepi (Ewe, Volta Region)
- Defence Financial Controller-Brigadier General AK Dzisi (Ewe, Volta Region)
- Military Secretary-Brigadier General CK Gyasensir (Volta Region)
- Director General Personnel Administration- Brigadier General CKAA Awity (half Volta, half Eastern)
- Director General Defence Intelligence-Brigadier General PN Andoh (Akan, Western Region)
- Director General Defence Industries Department-Brigadier General JP Osei-Owusu
- Director General Inspector General’s Department-Brigadier General AK Adu (Akan, Western Region)
- Director General Plans and Development-Brigadier General RA Gyane (Akan, Eastern Region)
- Director General DCIS-Brigadier General M Appiah-Kubi (Akan, Ashanti)
Readers are to make their own observations from the list of thirteen (13) senior officers and the regional distribution. We wish to state that all these officers, with the exception of Brigadier General JP Osei-Owusu, had been promoted Brigadier General and their equivalents by the Mahama Administration before 7th January 2017.
Again, as at 7th January 2017, Brigadier General F Vib-Sanziri was the Director General National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) and has now been brought back into the mainstream as the Director General for International Peace Support Operations (IPSO) which is a very sensitive position by all standards.
We may have to do some analyses on the 13 “very senior officers” to prove to the NDC that Ewes and some Northerners have not been marginalized and relegated to occupying “very obscure and irrelevant offices” as they want the world to believe. If out of thirteen (13) very senior officer positions five (5) (and possibly six (6), if we add one of the others whose mother is from the Volta Region and is married to an Ewe woman) are from the Volta Region, one is a Krobo from the Eastern Region, one is a Dagarti from the Upper West Region, two are Akans from the Western Region (Fanti and Nzema), one is a Kwahu (Akan) from the Eastern Region and two Ashantis (Akans) from the Ashanti Region, can we say that Ewes and Northerners have been marginalized and reduced to occupying very obscure and irrelevant offices?
Again from the list, it is clear that an officer from the Volta Region, Brigadier General AK Dzisi is in charge of Finances of the whole Ghana Armed Forces. Is the position of Defence Financial Controller very obscure and irrelevant?
What about the position of Director General Medical Services? Brigadier General RK Ametepi from the Volta Region and an Ewe, is responsible for the medical needs of the entire Ministry of Defence. Taking into account the number of doctors, nurses, para-medicals, hospitals, Medical Reception Stations (MRS), equipment, plants, medicines and resources in his care (budget wise), can any right thinking person say that, the position of Director General Medical Services (being occupied by an Ewe from the Volta Region) is a very obscure and irrelevant position?
Additionally, where you have another Ewe Air Commodore JSK Dzamefe, from the Volta Region in charge of Logistics of the Ghana Armed Forces, can we say that Ewes have been reduced to third class citizens? In terms of resources and personnel, the Director General Logistics is one of the most (if not most powerful) powerful positions in the Ghana Armed Forces.
Very sensitive and important Directorates that fall under the responsibility of the Director General Logistics include Ordnance (DOS), Supply and Transport (DST), Electrical and Mechanical Engineer (DEME) AND Directorate of Engineer Services (DES). All the contracts for clothing and necessaries; food (ration), petroleum , oil and Lubricants (POL); vehicles and their parts and buildings (office and living accommodation) among others are all vested in Air Commodore JKS Dzamefe, an Ewe from the Volta Region as the Director General Logistics at the General Headquarters.
Moreover, Brigadier General NK Kporku, an Ewe from the Volta Region is the Director General Joint Operations. This is also one of the most important (if not not most important) positions, by way of the core mandate of the Ghana Armed Forces. Armed Forces all over the world are responsible for operations (i.e. Combat, counter insurgency, peace support) as their core mandate for which the various support and staff elements are provided. If the position of Director General Joint Operations, which traditionally takes precedence over the rest of the Director Generals and is usually the seniormost, has been given to an Ewe from the Volta Region, can any right thinking person state that Ewes have been reduced to third class citizens in the Ghana Armed Forces?
What about the position of the Military Secretary held by Brigadier General CK Gyasensir? Is the NDC aware of the influence of a Military Secretary in the career development of officers? All promotions, appointments and releases of officers are published by the Military Secretary. He is a Special Adviser to the Chief of Defence Staff and Service Chiefs on appointments, promotions and releases of all officers. Brigadier General CK Gyasensir is also from the Volta Region.
Another very powerful position in the Ghana Armed Forces is that of the Director General Personnel Administration which is in charge of recruitment, discipline, parades, honours, awards, assessment of pension gratuities of retired personnel among other functions. This position is currently occupied by Brigadier General CKAAA Awity whose father is an Ewe from the Volta Region and the mother is from the Eastern Region. He is also married to an Ewe woman and therefore could be said to be more inclined towards the Volta Region (his paternal roots) than the Eastern Region (maternal roots).
On the whole, out of the thirteen Director Generals at GHQ, persons from the Volta Region occupy the most “sensitive command positions” and therefore cannot be said to be third class citizens marginalized and reduced to occupying very obscure and irrelevant offices.
Currently, the Chief of Staff who is the coordinator of affairs at the General Headquarters is also from the Volta Region. Thus, in effect, the General Headquarters of the Ghana Armed Forces is under the control of Ewes and officers from the Volta Region. Any dispute about that?
As a matter of fact, it is an open secret in Burma Camp today that Rear Admiral M Beick-Baffour is the de facto Chief of Defence Staff or at worst the shadow Chief of Defence Staff . It is Rear Admiral M Beick-Baffour who gives pieces of advice (staff comments and recommendations) which the Chief of Defence Staff is accustomed to obeying.
Rear Admiral M Beick-Baffour, Air Commodore JSK Dzamefe, Brigadier Generals NK Kporku and CK Gyasensir have constituted themselves into the Cabinet of the Chief of Defence Staff. They are always meeting and strategizing with the Chief of Defence Staff over all matters and affairs in the Ghana Armed Forces.
The Chief of Defence Staff has so much confidence in them that, he would hardly take a decision without consulting, conferring or seeking inputs from them. This practice has seriously affected work flow in Burma Camp. Correspondence from the three services and the Departments under the General Headquarters get unnecessarily locked up either at the office of the Chief of Staff or the Chief of Defence because of the need to hold the prior conference of this Ewe dominated Kitchen Cabinet of the Chief of Defence Staff and Chief of Staff.
It is intimated that in the absence of the Chief of Staff, the Chief of Defence Staff confers more with Air Commodore JKS Dzamefe (Director General Logistics) more than any other Departmental Head. The reason for this practice by the Chief of Defence Staff is that while he was the Commandant of KAIPTC, Air Commodore Dzamefe was his Deputy Commandant.
Another major area of concern in Burma Camp today is the award of contracts. The Defence Tender Committee responsible for the award of contracts in the Armed Forces is chaired by the Chief of Staff with the Defence Financial Controller, the Director General Logistics and Director Procurement as members.
Thus, the Defence Tender Committee today has only one officer as an outsider (not hailing from the Volta Region). The only outsider, Colonel TK Mensah (GH/2681), is a direct nephew of Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketiah (General Mosquito), the General Secretary of the NDC.
Colonel TK Mensah was appointed Director Procurement by the NDC regime to ensure that most contracts in the Ghana Armed Forces went to NDC members. That objective has been working well to perfection. Owing to the good policy of His Excellency Nana Akufo-Addo not to disturb the hierarchy of the Ghana Armed Forces, Colonel TK Mensah has been maintained as the Director Procurement when everybody knows that he is a very active member of the NDC and is a nephew of Johnson Asiedu Nketiah.
As a result, a very disturbing development is taking place in the award of contracts. Out of ten (10) major contracts that were approved recently by the Defence Tender Committee, eight (8) went to known NDC contractors who won most of the contracts during the Mills/Mahama Administration.
But members of the Patriotic Concerned Officers and Men (PACOM) are not surprised about that development when the entire members of the current Defence Tender Committee are NDC members and again with the exception of one member hailing from the Brong Ahafo Region, the rest are all from the Volta Region. These are issues that the NPP should be grappling with. Is it fair that Ewes, persons from the Volta Region and officers with known links with the NDC should dominate every Service, Department, Directorate and unit of the Ghana Armed Forces?
Once it favours the NDC, Ewes and persons from the Volta Region, the rest may go to hell. But when the NDC perceives any attempts at redressing or seeking reasonable balances between regions and gender then they want to cry wolf when there is not even a mouse.
Oh ye hypocrites! When will the NDC stop its diabolical plans and actions? Only God Knows.
Having exposed the hypocrisy of the NDC at the topmost side of the Military High Command and the General Headquarters, we may wish to consider the regional distribution of the officers currently on diplomatic duties before we proceed to discuss the Bases and Commands of the Ghana Armed Forces.
Currently, the Ghana Armed Forces have military diplomatic representations in the following countries: United States of America (Washington DC and New York); United Kingdom; China; India; Egypt; Nigeria; Ethiopia and Cote D’lvoire.
The current Defence Advisers and/or Attachés were all appointed by the NDC Administration of President Mahama and allowed to stay on by President Nana Akufo – Addo.
Brigadier General A Abu (GH/2023) was appointed as the Defence, Military, Naval and Air Attaché (DMNAA) to Washington DC to replace Brigadier General SM Adams (GH/1782). Thus one “Northerner” from the Northern Region of Ghana handed over to another “Northerner” from the Upper East Region. He has responsibility for both North and South America.
Brigadier General RY Odoi (GH/2022), a Ga from the Greater Accra Region, was appointed to take over from Brigadier General S Yanyi- Akofor (GH/1834) as the Military Adviser (MILAD) to the UN Secretary General at UN Headquarters in New York. Thus a Ga replaced an Akan from the Western Region.
Brigadier General CE Edjeani-Afenu (GH/2140) handed over the duties of Deputy MILAD in New York to Colonel JFNK Freeman (GH/2354). Thus an officer from the Volta Region handed over to an officer from the Central Region.
In the United Kingdom, Brigadier General IM Tetteh (GH/1919), a Krobo from the Eastern Region replaced Commodore SVA Coomson (GH/1969) an Akan from Central Region as the Defense Adviser in London.
In the same United Kingdom, Naval Captain Francis Ayitevi Nyarko (GH/2618) from the Volta Region has been appointed the Deputy Defence Adviser in London to replace Group Captain E Agyen-Frempong (GH/2603) from the Ashanti Region.
For the Peoples Republic of Ghana, Brigadier General JA Boampong (GH/2176) from the Ashanti Region, and a very close friend of the NDC Kingmaker, Brigadier General AK Adokpa, was appointed to replace Brigadier General AI Wuni (GH/1835) from Upper East Region in Beijing. Thus, an Akan replaced a Northerner.
To New Delhi has been sent Air Commodore JYM Nyadodui (GH/2181) from the Volta Region to replace Brigadier General DK Mishio (GH/1784) also from the Volta Region. Thus (Nyebro to Nyebro)
The current Defence Adviser to Cairo in Egypt is Group Captain Elvis King Arneson (GH/2606) from the Volta Region. He replaced Air Commodore FA Ayamgha (GH/1975) from the Upper East Region. Thus, a Voltarian has replaced a Northerner.
For the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Commodore MRN Yawson (GH/1974) from the Western Region has been appointed to replace Air Commodore NFK Dzokoto (GH/2175) from the Volta Region.
Ethiopia which had Brigadier General E Tetteh-Akunor (GH/1859), a Krobo from the Eastern Region now has Brigadier General KA Yeboah (GH/2037) an Akan from the Eastern Region.
Finally, Ghana’s current Defence Adviser to Abidjan in la Cote d’lvoire is Commodore S Agyenim –Boateng (GH/2486) from the Ashanti Region. He replaced his Ashanti brother Commodore I Osei-Kuffuor (GH/1973).
Readers may juxtapose the current military officers on the diplomatic duties with those they relieved between December 2016 and March 2017 to compare and contrast their regional distributions. Both lists showed that Ewes (persons from the Volta Region) Northerners, Ga Adangbes and Akans were or have been reasonably represented.
For instance, the immediate past military diplomatic advisers included Northerners (SM Adams, AI Wuni and FA Ayamgha) Ewes/Voltarians (DK Mishio, CE Edjeani-Afenu, NFK Dzokoto) Ga Adangbes (E Tetteh-Akunor) Akans (S Yanyi-Akofor, SVA Coomson, I Osei-Kuffour, E Agyen-Frempong).
Similarly, the current group of military diplomats includes “Northerners” (A Abu); Ga/Adangbes (IM Tetteh, RY Odoi); Ewes/Voltarians (JYM Nyadodui, FA Nyarko, EK Arneson) Akans (MRN Yawson, KA Yeboa, JA Boampong and SA Boateng) .
With these facts, and especially the point that the appointments were made by the NDC, how can any right thinking person claim that Ewes and some Northerners have been marginalized, relegated and reduced to occupying “very obscure and irrelevant offices” in the military owing to the alleged stinking “Akanisation” of the Ghana Armed Forces?
If in the appointments of military diplomatic officers out of ten (10) officers, one(1) is a “Northerner”, three (3) are Ewes (from the Volta Region), two (2) are Ga/Adangbes and four (4) are Akans, can any right thinking person accuse the NPP administration of stinking “Akanisation” especially when the appointment were made by a Northern President from the NDC party who had a Northern Minister of Defence and all that His Excellency Nana Akufo-Addo did was to affirm what had been done by his predecessor?
Is it not a question of crying wolf when there is not even a mouse?
It needs to be pointed out that in all fairness Akans are the majority ethnic group in Ghana from whatever angle we look at it- whether from cumulative aggregation of tribes or regions with majority Akans. Thus, we may associate Akans with originality from as many as five Regions out of the ten regions namely Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Central, Eastern and Western Regions. We may also associate Ewes with only the Volta region by the same formula. So also could we associate “Northerners” with three Regions (Northern, Upper East and Upper West)
Similarly, we may associate the Ga/Adangbes with the Greater Accra Region and the Eastern Regions.
With these considerations at the back of our minds, can we justifiably accuse the NPP administration of His Excellency Nana Addo of “Akanisation” of the Armed Forces?
Are these diplomatic offices very obscure and irrelevant in the Ghana Armed Forces?
