The Church and Moslem Leadership in Ghana have Failed the People and the Nation

We, As A People & As A Nation, Have To Act Now Or Forever Hold Our Peace…

THE remaining seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, and months of this year, 2024 to the Saturday, 7th December elections will be epochal for several reasons: (a) the determination of the governing, New Patriotic Party (NPP) to ‘Break The Eight’ mantle as touted loudest by the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo so that he would hand over to his Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia; (b) the new bold call with impunity by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo that he would not want to handover to his predecessor, John Dramani Mahama (even when the latter wins the coming elections?) because he isn’t guaranteed that the latter will secure the protection and preservation of his government’s legacies; (c) the rush by the leadership at all levels of the governing party to enrich themselves through the sharing and purchases of state properties and lands for peanuts as well as bleeding state and government institutions they head or work with as government appointees dry with obscene salaries and end-of-service emoluments, even for just a week stay in office; the seeming fear of the populace towards a scary future with too several unknown variables; and (d) the current insuperable state of bankruptcy as well as state capture of Ghana’s morbid economy.

Coupled with the ongoing dire state of Ghana’s microeconomy is the loud, deafening silences of the Church and Moslem (religious) membership, associations, and leadership of such bodies in Ghana as:

(i)         National Peace Council;

(ii)        Assemblies of God, Ghana;

(iii)       Seventh Day Adventists Church Ghana;

(iv)       Christian Council of Ghana;

(v)        The Church of Pentecost, Ghana;

(vi)       Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference;

(vii)      Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council;

(viii)     National Association of Charismatic and Christian Council;

(ix)       Ghana Baptist Convention;

(x)        Methodist Church Ghana;

(xi)       Anglican Church of Ghana;

(xii)      Presbyterian Church of Ghana;

(xiii)     Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana;

(xiv)     Ghana Muslim Mission;

(xv)      Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission, Ghana;

(xvi)     Ghana Islamic Council;

(xvii)    Hindu Monastery of Africa;

(xviii)   Ghana Buddhist Association; and

(xix)     Afrikania Mission.

Years back or not too distant past under another dispensation or political party, the Church as a whole was most militant in condemning the seeming spate of corruption within the political class, led in most instances by their top hierarchy, including some moderators.

This era witnessed a Moderator, so irked by the perceived corruption of the then government of the NDC that he could not stand himself than to just shout, asking where were the ‘wisemen’ who prefer standing by in silence as they allow corrupt politicians to ‘rape’ the nation and deny the people the application and judicious use of the resources of state?

Indeed, there were several ‘Men of God’, who used their various church pulpits, and private and official engagements to lambast the then government for perceived economic atrocities, including the dreaded ‘DUMSOR’; as for those times, days, weeks, months, and the full four (4) years, they acted more as agents of the then opposition, and believing that they were responding to the final call for ultimate change.

This was also against the call on one of the popular radio stations in the national capital by the then presidential candidate’s allusion of the ‘ARAB SPRING’ as a possibility of what could happen if there was no change with the 2016 Elections.

Stranger still were the cries and begging of ‘give me the opportunity to serve you’ with the slang “so me hwe” and yet after the swearing-in at the Independence Square, which was highlighted by all the plagiarized materials without according to due credits, we have been subjected to a certain narrative of lies paraded as the ‘new truth’ in all government communications, discourses, engagements, media & public discussions, and defenses.

Post–2017 inauguration and first term tenure of his Presidency witnessed quite some scary landmark ‘LEST WE FORGET’ moments, which served to define its character and ultimate legacy post–2024, including the Ayawaso West Wuogon By-Election held on 31st January 2019.

The Ayawaso West Wuogon By-Election was held on 31st January 2019 after the death of the then sitting NPP Member of Parliament, the late Emmanuel Kwabena Kyerematen Agyarko (10th December 1957 – 21st November 2018).

The bye-election witnessed the assault of Hon. Sam George, MP for Ningo Prampram by national security persons as well as the wounding of eighteen (18) others by gunshot.

The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, with the consent of President Nana Akufo-Addo, who was then out of the country, established a three-member Commission to inquire into the violence that marred the by-election in the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency in Accra; and chaired by the former Commissioner for the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Francis Emile Short. The other members were law professor, Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu and former Inspector-General of Police, Patrick Kwarteng Acheampong.

Private legal practitioner and former Dean of the GIMPA Law School, Dr. Ernest Kofi Abotsi was also appointed as Secretary to the Commission.

The term of reference (TOR) of the Commission were:

(a)        To make a full, faithful, and impartial inquiry into the circumstances of, and establish the facts leading to, the events and associated violence during the Ayawaso West Wuogon By-Election on the 31st day of January 2019;

(b)        To identify any person responsible for or who has been involved in the events, associated violence, and injuries;

(c)        To inquire into any matter which the Commission considers incidental or reasonably related to the causes of the events and associated violence and injuries; and

(d)        To submit within one month its report to the President giving reasons for its findings and recommendations, including appropriate sanctions, if any.

Later, the Police Administration added to the TOR to cover the professional and criminal conduct of the persons who were involved in the incident.

However, the whole exercise ended in a shroud of warped implementation of the recommendations and then a loud silence, marring the administration of the Presidency of Akufo-Addo in controversies, which persists to date.

The second controversy of importance concerned the Ejura Committee Report, which presents the findings and recommendations of the three-member Ministerial Committee that investigated the disturbances at Ejura in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.

The Report contains the following points (www.myjoyonline.com); –

(i)         Adequate compensation for the families of the two deceased persons, Abdul Nasir Yusuf and Murtala Suraj Mohammed;

(ii)        The immediate transfer of the District Police Commander of Ejura, DSP Philip Kojo Hammond;

(iii)       The expansion of the Ejura Police Station and an increase in personnel;

(iv)       The removal of the Ejura-Sekyedumase Municipal Chief Executive, Hon. Mohammed Salisu Bamba;

(v)        The Military establishment reviews the actions of the section on the ground, led by Lieutenant Martin Opoku Adusei, for the inappropriate use of force, and appropriate use of force, and appropriate sanctions;

(vi)       The training of REGSEC, MUSEC, and DISEC officials in the Ashanti Region in Conflict and Crisis Management at the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College at least once every year;

(vii)      The development of a joint Standard Operative Procedure (SOP) for Military / Police operations, including roles for indispensable allied agencies like the National Fire Service, National Ambulance Service, etc.;

(viii)     The National Commission for Civic Education should intensify its public education in relation to the rights, obligations, and civic responsibilities of the people of Ejura;

(ix)       All crowd/riot/crisis control units be made to wear bodycams, and all vehicles and mobile gadgets employed must also have cameras; and

(x)        The establishment of Sports and Recreational Facilities in Ejura under the Zongo Development Fund, towards rechanneling the energies of the youth.

The events leading to the Ejura controversy were shaped by the activities of Ibraham Mohammed, aka KAAKA – a ‘HOW TO FIX THE COUNTRY’ activist, who had been torn in the flesh of those in government in his township and region, was killed in Ejura in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.

Kaaka was attacked by assailants with dangerous implements on June 26, 2021, at around 01:30 a.m., who aimed at the occipital region behind his head, causing him to become unconscious. The attack occurred when Kaaka was returning home on his motorbike.

The accused persons included Fuseini Alhassan (a butcher), Ibrahim Issaka (also known as Anyaase), and Iddi Mohammed (also known as Chuburos, a ticket seller and blacksmith). They beat Kaaka until he became unconscious and then fled the scene.

Kaaka was rushed to the Ejura Government Hospital for further treatment and later died on June 28, 2021, at 01:40 a.m. due to the injuries sustained during the attack.

It is worthy of note that the family of Kaaka, later accused the Committee of Inquiry of deliberately attempting to distance Kaaka from the #Fix The Country movement. The family felt let down in the Committee’s work, suspecting a plot to shield the real suspects of the case because of political affiliation.

During a meeting between the family of Ibrahim ‘Kaaka’ Mohammed and the National Chief Imam in Accra, they expressed their dissatisfaction at what they believe is falsehood and an attempt to pin the activist’s death on his brother.

Much earlier on April 6, 2017, some persons identified as members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) vigilante group, DELTA FORCE, stormed the Kumasi Circuit Court and freed thirteen (13) suspects who were standing trial for various crimes, including causing mayhem at the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council. (www.ghanaweb.com)

The suspects were reportedly charged with offenses including robbery, possession of firearms, and assault. The group, estimated to be around fifty (50) men, overpowered the court’s security personnel and released the suspects from the courtroom.

The marauding group also attacked the presiding judge who had earlier ruled that the suspects be remanded to appear before the court on April 20, 2017.

An eyewitness who spoke to Starr News disclosed that the Presiding Judge, Mary Senkyire, the Prosecutor, and the Bailiff had to be rescued by the Police in court.

No arrest had since been made even though the Police were present in court. That action by the then NPP vigilante group came after the National Security Minister Albert Kan Dapaah said the Delta, Invisible forces, and other such forces were not registered and therefore do (did) not exist.

According to him, the groups are (were) action groups of party foot soldiers who are perpetuating violence and molesting Ghanaians. “There are no legally registered vigilante groups in this country and for that matter, there are no such groups to be disbanded.

That notwithstanding, there had been over eighteen (18) incidents of vigilante violences recorded since NPP’s 2016 victory and in the first term of 2017 – 2020 to the acute silences of all faith in Ghana. (www.citifmonline.com)

The second term of the NPP Government under the Presidency of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia started with the Ghana Police Service reporting five (5) deaths and nineteen (19) injuries during and after the 2020 Ghanaian general elections.

Projected against the mantra of ‘BREAKING THE EIGHT (8)’ for the 2024 General Elections, more to maintain the status quo, protect and cover up all the lootings and malfeasances, it stands to reason that this year will be worth protecting by all patriots; and why the voices of the Church would be required more now than before, against the enhanced neutrality of the Ghana Police Force.

I must commend the Chief Imam’s Office for the recent statement released, calling for calm ahead of the coming elections; followed by a similar text from the Ghana National Peace Council; however, I have not been impressed by the deafening silences of the Church in general, until the selected recent meeting with one Presidential Candidate in Cape Coast.

Truth however be told; the sins of that political class over the last seven (7) years plus, including such cowardly, opulent and despicable acts of those with the political power, more inclined to join the looting brigade with the penchant to show-off their ‘new’ wealth through obscene show, in the face of the abject poverty of the brood mass of our people.

We are indeed facing a new precipice of an African Tsunami, one that requires all of us to have a singular thought of action that NO LIFE WILL BE LOST during the coming elections this year; that our Nation ‘GHANA’ should be the winner than any political party, not even those begging for others to step down to be given the opportunity to be the ‘PRESIDENT’, whilst forgetting that he shares the singular opportunity like the late Aliu Mahama to have served a continuous two terms of eight (8) years as a ‘VICE PRESIDENT’.

It has taken me more than three weeks to have done this piece and therefore, some of the points have virtually become moot but then such is the life of a part-time writer, whose sole desire is to leave our nation, our people, and our country, a far better place than how we met it decades ago.

Need I say more…?

By Magnus Naabe RexDanquah, the ‘Ghanaian’