For those of you in the Ghana Armed Forces pointing fingers in my direction, I write to state that I am not responsible for the story in the Herald of 29th July, 2022 titled, “Ghana’s poorly-equipped military retiring young Officers.”
I can’t match the capacity, capability and investigative skills of the Herald Newspaper and its Editor, Larry Alans Dogbe.
However, if I am minding my thoughts and you tempt me to join your frivolous, tribalistic, self-centred, politically motivated fisticuffs, I will oblige you with some punches.
Is it not the practice in the Ghana Army that six (6) months before attaining the retirement age, a servicing personnel who wishes his service/skill set to be retained for a period of time writes to his/her Service Chief for an extension?
Did my Volta Region brothers Colonel Dagbe and Colonel Ahelie apply for such an extension?
As for my good friends Colonel Gbedawo and Colonel Kemetse, can they state emphatically they were never given an extension?
By the way, how come my Ga-Dangme relative Brig-General Obodai and others like my good friends Brigadier-General Saka, Colonel Awuah Mante, Colonel Owusu Acheampong Boateng fell in the same bracket as my respected Voltarian Colonels but no one is speaking for them? Is it because they are not noted to hail from the Volta Region and/or they are not noted to be associated with the National Democrat Congress?
By the way, has the Ghana Armed Forces Council sat to determine who gets promoted? So, how did aggrieved Officers of the Army get to know who had been promoted or not?
And in the Ghana Army is it only seniority which is used for promotions?
In your Army specialised fields like the Armour and Artillery Units, the Logistics Unit (Electrical, Mechanical, Medical, Education, etc), does the GAF do promotions by seniority only?
Where there is a vacancy for promotions at the Armour Corps, does the GAF promote a senior from elsewhere to head the place when there is a Specialist who is a junior?
Reading through the Herald publication, I could not believe that there are Officers and men of the Ghana Army who don’t know the locations of the new Brigades, their Brigade Commanders and their functions in border management and counter-terrorism operations, etc?
As Senior Military Officers, are they saying they don’t know of the locations of No.10 Mechanised Battalion, Wa, the No.11 Mechanised Battalion, Bazua, and the 155 Armoured Regiment, Damongo? Even I, a civilian, have been to the Wa and Bazua barracks and other bases at Nandom, Hamile, Tumu, Paga, Mognori and Polimakom.
Are Officers of the Ghana Army not aware that Brigadier General Gyandu Hedidor is the Head of the 155 Armoured Brigade and Brigadier-General Ntem is the Head of Army Signal Brigade, and Brigadier-General Essien is the Head of the Army Special Operations Brigade? Have they checked to see the regions Generals Hedidor and Ntem hail from?
Are you in the Army not aware that Major-General Gyane holds a PHD and can teach anywhere including at the Kofi Annan Peace Centre?
Are you not aware that Brigadier-General Osei-Wusu holds an Executive Certificate in Logistics?
As for Major-General Oppong Peprah, I wonder what anointing or juju he carries that at the sight of his picture and/or mention of his name some demons begin to shriek.
May be, Oppong-Peprah should be truly pleased with the Herald publication from aggrieved Volta Region Colonels associated with the NDC.
May be, Oppong-Peprah is not aware that the Akans in the GAF whisper to his Commander-in-Chief to watch him carefully, especially when he takes decisions which favour Voltarians in the Army. His own colleagues are quick to say he is an NDC man because of his previous work relationships with Captain Tsikata, Lt. Colonel Larry Gbevlo-Lartey and the 64 Bn.
When Oppong-Peprah’s decisions don’t favour Voltarians, he is held out as a darling Akufo-Addo General and being more NPP than B.J. da Rocha.
I don’t really care a toss about who Oppong-Peprah is and where he stands.
What I care about is the security, peace, progress and prosperity of Ghana.
What I care about when I travel to the frontier is the hard work being put in by Major-General Oppong-Peprah and his Officers and men at Tatale-Sunguli, Bimbila, Karaga, Polimakom, Kongo, Woriyanga, Tubongo, Tempane, Widana, Sakuade, Yariga, Mognori, Bawku, Bazua, Paga, Tumu, Gwollu, Fielmuo, Hamile, Nakoligu, Nadom, Lawra, Wa, Damongo, Daboya, etc.
So, my piece of advice to General Oppong-Peprah is simple: Focus on your work to keep Ghana safe from attacks from extremists, terrorists, pirates, brigands, buccaneers, highway robbers, etc
As for the Officers and men of the Ghana Army, we give you a briefing space in our critic of your work because of the role you play to deter and counter threats posed to our state security by pirates, extremists, terrorists, and internal armed gangs.
If you don’t stop fishing and leaking classified information to damage the image of the Ghana Armed Forces, we the bold ones wil help bring you into public ridicule by publishing your cocktail of truths, half-truths, and disinformation.
Owula Mangortey
Dodowa
30th July, 2022