Urgent need for the Appointment of Minister of Defense

GENERAL OVERVIEW
President Mahama has occupied all political offices from Assemblyman, MP, Deputy Minister, Minister, and Vice President up to the highest Office of President of Ghana. Hence, he needs not to be told of the importance of the Ministry of Defense in which resides the Ghana Armed Forces with persons with different egos with critical role in the national security architecture matters. Otherwise the Council of State, should ensure the President acts accordingly.

History shows that the Defense Minister is the silent Deputy Constitutional Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. So, President Mahama as very good Historian needs not to be told this. He should read how President Donald Trump and his Defense Minister (Secretary) are handling the USA Military or Security and thus demo the Civilian Authority full control of the gun of the State.

WHY URGENT TO APPOINT MINISTER OF DEFENSE

There is the urgent need for a Minster of Defense for the following reasons (1). To tame different egos of the Senior Military Officers, as done by Mr Hegseth of USA. He sacked the Chaplain General, Army Commander etc. (2). Another issues is Regional security threat, hence the need for Strategic Direction and Coordination cannot be over stressed. Next as (3) is the Military Welfare and Command cannot be over stressed and lastly as (4). Need to address the potential vacuum.

Taming the different egos of the Senior Military Officers,

The Military is to defend the Sovereignty of the State, hence it denotes a coercive tool for the demo of power superiority or ability to bite, and hence it is the teeth of the State. The Military Organization is a unique national institution with strong Corporate image and interest and is regarded as a high pressure environment as such, often requires a confident personality hence the Officers have large ego to lead and issue orders decisively to maintain unit cohesion, but may become harmful if unchecked by a strong and smart Defense Minister.

So, it is universally accepted that military officers can develop significant egos and a substantive Minister of Defense can play a critical role in managing and tempering these tendencies. In Democratic Dispensation, the Military must subject to Civilian Oversight or must subordinate itself to Civilian Authority and substantive Minister of Defense acts as the key checks on the power and attitudes of military leadership, thus ensuring ego does not supersede service to the Nation.

A Defense Ministry with no substantive Defense minister for a prolong time can blur lines of authority and allows excessive autonomy which can inflate Military Leadership ego, and may not be easy to tame it. There was a story of how an inflated ego of a National Security Coordinator, a Senior Police Officer made him so pompous that he refused to resign when directed by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the appointing authority to do so.

The alleged corrupt offence of the Officer was a serious one and actually required a sack and prosecution, if Ghana had a Special Prosecutor at that time. Presumably to protect the ego of the Officer, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, opted to use a compromise deal.

So, to sustain the Senior Police Officer’s ego, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces who wields ultimate power, and could do everything, including changing a man to a woman in this days had no choice but to cause an announcement of his resignation and not a sack, this tells a lot, about how inflated egos can cause to a Nation.

Part of the contributing factors for the 31 December Coup had to do with the inflated egos of some sacked Military Officers and the inflated egos of retired Flt Jerry Rawlings, Chairman of the AFRC, which handed power to the regime of President Liman. Also the failed Major Courage Quashiga’s Coup had to do with inflated Military Officers’ ego.

Egos of the then CDS in 1979, who was then Brigadier Nunoo Mensah and Egos of Brigadier Arnold Quanno as the Army Commander, coincidentally who were mates at the Military Academy, made them to be at loggerheads and the then naïve Minister of Defense could not detect the state of affairs so as to manage and tame their inflated or large egos.

This made President Liman to assume the Office of Defense Minister and quickly sacked the two Senior Officers who were only six months old in their Offices, The President then quickly invited the then Commander of Northern Command, then was young Col Edwin Sam and appointed him as CDS, to replace Brigadier Nunoo Mensah. Col Edwin Sam occupied the office of CDS for only 4 days and replaced by then Col Bannor. Why so, may be attributed to ego matters.

The deflated egos of the sacked Military Officers and the deflated egos of compulsory retired Flt Jerry Rawlings made them to become association of disgruntled elements, effective December 1979. Funny enough, they had the support of the then Border Guards Officers at her Headquarters, near or now part of the Headquarters of Immigration. So they were visitors to the Mess at the place, opened to the public.

So why General Arnold Quanno caused the disbandment of Border Guard Service at 1 pm news in 1986 of GBC radio, the only Radio Station those days, the Military is a well-established Institution with rigid traditions/ procedures, so the failure or refusal to use the established procedures to do so, made the action of the then GOC (CDS) a mystery (strange) and gave different interpretations, including a clash of inflated egos.

The author allegation that the right procedure was not followed, is because besides that critical Military procedures are part of Studies of Military law and Studies of Army Tactic A subjects, which he studied and passed for promotions from Lt to Captain and Captain to Major, the Author is saying so because, as Commanding Officer of ex-Ghana Armed Forces Farms (GAFF) hereafter CO of GAFF, that was in late 1992, he knew the established procedure of Board of Survey that was used for the disbandment of his Command or Unit.

It started with a Warning Order to the Unit and all Services and units, so he had a letter on the planned to disband the GAFF and disbandment action before the 1993 handing over to Civilian Authority, thus made him to have a very good understanding of the matter.

The author then a young Captain with exuberance and inflated ego, had the audacity to write formally to the Convening Authority for the Disbandment with a copy to the then PNDC Secretary for Defence, then was Hon Alhaji Iddrisu Mahama and made a very strong protest against it.

He presented detailed documentary evidences of the profit the Unit was making, the need to protect military lands and a big irrigation dam and fishing dam etc as provided by General Acheampong, whom formed the Unit in 1978 at Tamale. Furthermore, he indicated the need to protect lands in Michel Camp Tema with a very big irrigation and fishing dam, with the aim among others to use inculcate farming matters to personnel of National Service, as established in the same year by General Acheampong in 1978 to do two years’ services including with Military training and passing through the Military Agric Farms to learn about Agric.

Hence he indicated that GAFF was to be a Political tool and Psychological tool, for Attitudinal Change for, social and economic transformation. He ended up with how profit making the Company was, thus a viable National Unit to be maintained. He had a quick response from high command, thanking him for his very good suggestions and good works at the Unit, the letter was signed by then Col Ababio, a staff Officer and that the decision was a political one and cannot be reversed.

He still have copies of some of documents especially how he wants to run his Command, the Unit or Company by making the tractors and rice combined harvesters at Tamale and the Poultry Feed Mill or factory at Tema available for approved reasonable fees to be covered with receipts or rigid accounting system . Hmm Ghana failed him.

As a member of a Board of Survey that was constituted for actions that led to the disbandment of GAFF, strangely, he uniquely did much of the works for the disbandment of his Command including drafting the report, thus deflated his large ego. So he has very good understanding of the procedures for disbandment of a Unit.

GAFF was a very small Unit, so he expected that the disbandment of BGS in 1986, which then a very big Service due to several units and subunits, would have been executed professionally with military precision. Since it was not so, one be may right today to decipher that egos of General Arnold Quanno as CDS/ Army Commander, (the buffalo Soldier) and that of the then Commander of Border Guard Service were at a clash and thus the contributing factor may be that egos reared its ugly heads.

Hence, the apparent unprofessional disbandment of Border Guard Service at the time of the 1 pm news. This state of affairs, gave room for a lucrative chance for the possibility of some Border Guard Officers escorting goods to enter into agreement and cheated the Nation. Cry the Beloved Country.

Note with the disbandment of BGS, the Ghana Army initially was made to take over from BGS and to absorb the personnel. It was later on that Customs, Excise and Preventive Services (CEPS) was formed under the then Revenue Services which later became GRA to take over.

Hmm the Boss of CEPs, is a member of National Security Council whilst his Boss, the Director General of GRA is not a member of National Security Council, what a tragedy?. So, the Preventive Service should be divorced from GRA and be part of Ministry of Defence for Border Security. Hence creation of more jobs type 24 hour economy to police the Border and monitor the activities of immigration, Customs and Excise of GRA.

It must be noted that the Border Guard Service (BGS) which was formed from the Ghana Police was not part of the Ghana Armed Forces when it was established by General Acheampong’s Regime with General Utuka as the Commander. Since Borders Guards Officers were given BGS Folio number whilst Officers of Ghana Armed Forces be Army or Navy of AirFoce had GH Folio numbers.

In 1986, then Lt Mohammed Bogobiri from Military Academy was given Borders Guards Officers Folio number as BG 99 but with the disbandment of the Borders Guards saw the Borders Guards Officer given Ghana Armed Forces folio numbers., so his folio new number was given in GH 2140s.

So Borders Guards Senior Officers like Brigadier General Comfort Edjeani Afeku, who in 1986, was then a Captain in BGS, with Capt Nine Pence, Captain Hopinbouer were given new GH Folio Numbers so, their numbers made them to appear to be juniors to some of their junior Officers in the Ghana Armed Forces, since Folio Numbers in the Ghana Armed Forces had/has the prefix GH, and so their junior Officers who had earlier GH folio number before their senior Officers from BGS were absorbed by the Ghana Armed Forces appeared in books as Seniors to the absorbed officers from the BGS.

This disturbed egos of the affected Officers hence led to demoralization tendencies. It did affect then Lt Mohammed Bogobiri, because by the default or the earlier separation of BGS from Ghana Armed Forces and the later absorbing of the personnel into the Ghana Armed Forces made them to get Junior Folio numbers or GH Numbers as stated.

Then Lt Mohammed Bogobiri suddenly and sadly became junior to only some of his mates at the Military Academy, since GH Folio number was based on performance at the Military Academy, thus if he was initially commissioned into the Ghana Armed Forces, he would have received a Senior GH Folio number than some of his mates.

One may be right to say that the 31 December 1981 Coup was successful due to a weak Minister of Defense, since the matter of the Coup was ripe and nothing was done to quell it. The accounts of General Sam (rtd) on the 1966 Coup and the 31 December 1981 Coup are revealing about lack of both a Vice President and a strong Minister of Defense in the regime of President Nkrumah, to order the Strong Military at Shai Hills with the support of Russian personnel to quell it.

The accounts showed a lack of a strong Defense .Minister in the regime of President Liman to organize loyal troops to quell the 31 December 1981 Coup because the Military Intelligence personnel including my friend and mate at Navrongo Secondary, then Captain Abolga got a wind of it but nothing was done about the hot intelligence, so they had to run out of Ghana due to how they trailed the movement of Flt JJ Rawlings and others.

2Bn Takoradi under Lt Col Abito and Field Engineers Regiment then under Lt Col Ekow Smith made an attempt with movement of troops to quell the 31 December 1981 Coup. Incidentally both units, were my two mother units in the Ghana Armed Forces, so, I am conversant with the History of these two Units.

The egos of Military Officers played a role that led to the stripping of or better to say relinquishing of the Office of Army Commander by General Quanno who occupied both the Office of the CDS and Office of Army Commander for more than four years. So, General Mensah Wood was appointed as the then Army Commander as such he was appointed as Member of the PNDC. Due to the death of General Mensah Wood General BK Akafia became the Army Commander.

Era of General Mensah Wood as Army Commander was also a disaster with regards of the welfare of personnel of the Ghana Army. He failed to sign a new condition of services for the Ghana Army. So when he died, his wife wept at the Military Pay Office when he was given the Cheque for the payments of the compensation or gratuity of her spouse, a General. When she was told how wicked the two former Army Commanders (the Buffalo Soldier and her late husband) were to the Ghana ARMY. This made the lady to weep more and refused to receive the Cheque.

General BK Akafia, immediately signed it when he became the Army Commander. So he became the Soldiers’ Soldier or the peoples’ Army Commander with seek ye first the Welfare of your Officers and Men and the battle will be won.

General BK Akafia also demo he was really the peoples’ Army Commander, when he assured the 2000 National Election or Presidential Election was organized in a fairly manner, that helped to get the then NPP’s Presidential Candidate or Flagbearer then as Hon Mr JA Kofour, to win the election especially the second round.

In late 1992, even as a young Captain Bogobiri, this author had unbridled egos. Since, he was one time the Commanding Officer of the disbanded Ghana Armed Forces Farms, hereafter CO of GAFF, and at a point in time, he was refused to take part in a meeting of the GOC (CDS) in 1992 with Commanding Officers at General Headquarters. Simply because he was of the rank of a Captain, hence below Half Colonel (Lt Col) for CO’s appointment.

Disappointed by the GOC (CDS), so he also said he will also show him where power lines or he was a powerful Military Officer despite his lower rank. So, fortunately, or coincidently for the very young Captain Bogobiri’s position as the CO of GAFF, gave him free or direct access to then PNDC Defense Secretary, then Hon Mr Alhaji Iddrisu Mahama, since the Unit held a separate very huge subvention budget, sometimes same as over 5 Million Ghana Cedis in today’s value of money from the then Ministry of Finance.

The young CO of GAFF (then Captain Bogobiri) sent the list of debtors of his Unit to Hon Mr Alhaji Iddrisu Mahama, the then Defense Secretary, and told him that he needs money now to buy feed and medicine for the Poultry birds etc otherwise he could not guarantee their safety, since creditors were not willing to provide same on credit.

Hon Mr Alhaji Iddrisu Mahama by virtue of his key position as Minister of Defence, was made a member of the PNDC, so as a very strong Minister of Defence, directed the GOC that he and other mentioned officers must settle their debt immediately otherwise he will not allow him to travel out in his trip to Nicaragua.

The then GOC (CDS) had to give him a cheque through his ADC who had to travel to GAFF Head Office at Michel Camp to do so, for him to issue a receipt to clear the GOC. Hon Mr Alhaji Iddrisu Mahama is still alive may be able to recollect the smartness of a very young Captain as the CO of GAFF. He may also give the reason GAFF was banned by November 1992 before the return to Civilian Authority on 07 January 1993, under Democratic Dispensation or rule under the 1992 Constitution.

The Military Welfare and Command Matters

The position of substantive Defense Minister is essential for overseeing the welfare of personnel, military training, and addressing challenges like encroachment of military lands. It must be noted that Some Military Units had/have land problems.

Major Mohammed Bogobiri (rtd) had good intelligence on old Military welfare issues, especially when as Lt and later as a Captain when he was based or resided at the then Kpeshie Ridge or then 2 Brigade HQ/Field Engineers Officers Mess, when at Field Engineers Regiment and later at MATS Officers Mess, then later at Michel Camp.

Major Mohammed Bogobiri (rtd) as Lt and Captain spent some of his time at Burma Camp, sometimes with the brother of the wife of one of his senior brothers namely WO Sumailah alias Acid at Duala Line. Also at both Arakan and Gondar Barracks during the era of then Lt Col Sandugu, then with Captain Ben Klu, then with Lt Goodman Seidu, then with Lt Richie, then second Lieutenant Oppong Peprah.

Exam Papers on Current Affairs, hence Geopolitics was a part of the promotion exams from Lt to Captain and from Captain to Major. So the wide studied of current affairs armed him with very good info. Those were the days or fearful days of the culture of silence, so it created an unofficial or an apparent offence or just mater of a fearsome for Military personnel to be seeing with any newspaper other than Daily Graphic and Ghanaian Times.

But Mohammed Bogobiri as young Officer used to be braved, hence ManBogo as he was nicknamed, had the testicular fortitude that made him to buy private newspapers like the Chronicle, Daily Guide and other private newspapers from Teshie. These were newspapers Senior Officers both Military, Police, and Civil were afraid to buy openly or at all, or handle due to the then serious culture of silent or not to be labelled as an enemy within, hence need to play an eye service good boy posture.

By God’s design he had very good contacts or rapport with Officers from the Volta Region like then Captain Nunukor, then Major Necku, Captain Senchim, Captain Ben Klu etc and thus defused the rumor of rift between officers from the Volta Region and other Regions. The acts of Major Courage Quashiga, then Captain Gbvelo Lartey, Captain Nunukor and other Officers from the Volta Region at the Castle Osu or during the era of the PNDC and early parts of NDC regime created a serious wrong impression of favoritism , as covered by some private newspapers like the Herald, Chronicle etc. The attempted Coup by Major Courage Quashiga did not kill this wrong impression.

To add on the importance of a Strong Defence Minister for the welfare of the personnel. As young Lieutenant, Mohammed Bogobiri and other young Officers were not happy when all of a sudden, the then CDS as both the GOC and Army Commander (Buffalo Soldier) with large ego caused the stoppage of the feeding of young Officers at the Officers Mess and the introduction of pay through the Banking system to replace the two weeks’ pay on the Table system. It is envisaged that the feeding matter was done at the blind side of the PNDC Secretary for Defense then was Hon Alhaji Iddrisu Mahama.

Furthermore, the disbandment of the Border Guards Service by Buffalo Soldier made him, then Lt Mohammed Bogobiri very sad, since he was on his way to his new posting at Aflao Border when the news of the disbandment of the Ghana Border Guard Service was made at 1pm news time by the then only Radio Station that was GBC. So he had to return to Field Engineers Regiment before he was posted to Ghana Armed Forces Farms as Platoon Commander, and rose through OC to CO of GAFF.

Lastly, he was one of the victims of the idea of the payment of 3 US Dollars daily allowance instead of 10 US Dollars daily allowance in Peacekeeping Theater in Lebanon ordered by the Buffalo Soldier during his time only, that is to say it happened once and since it was changed by the PNDC Secretary for Defense. This tells the importance of a strong Minister of Defense to manage the large egos of High Command Authority.

All these and others made serious demoralization issues in the Ghana Army. There were also issues of promotion and appointments especially after Major rank due to one man, a Buffalo Soldier, holding the Office of CDS and Army Commander at the same time for more than four years, thus also caused various demoralization tendencies to rear their ugly heads in the Ghana Army or the Armed Forces.

This gave a lucrative Reason for Major Courage Quashiga’s Coup attempt to address his egos and egos or grievances of others, so a lot of Officers and men were surely behind him for a good cause. This may be one of the reasons he was not punished severely by the PNDC and not that he had the protection of fellow Voltarians, Chairman Rawlings.

If my memory served me right, serious grumbling among Officers and men including very young Officers like the then Captain Bogobiri motivated Hon Alhaji Iddrisu Mahama, the then PNDC Secretary of Defence/Member of the PNDC to organize a Durbar with Officers at Burma Hall. Which looked like it was arranged without the knowledge of the then GOC/Army Commander (the Buffalo Soldier), with Offices at Flagstaff Houses, due to how suddenly he stopped driving and entered or stormed the Burma Hall and thus caused tension to rise.

The author’s roommate for Combat Team course at MATS was then Major Richer Addo, when he Mohammed Bogobiri was a Captain. Major Richer Addo and then Lt Col George Paddington used to spend time in the shared room and he the author was good in examining the mode of the situation from the two of them, who were closed to Flt Lt Jerry Rawlings.

On the issues with problems of Military Lands in 2000, made one then Major Michael Akaptsu, as Acting Commanding of 2BN and then Major Mohammed Bogobiri as OC HQ Company in 2000, to introduce the idea of killing several birds with one stone in the Military by (a) securing or upholding, defending and protecting lands of 2BN from encroachment with Oil Palm plantation, (b) for generating internal income, (c) protection of Environment or deal with Climate Change, (d) greening or beautification and (e) provision of shade or good ecosystem for ecological balance etc .

This commendable idea was bought and sold to the then Minister of Defense, Hon Dr Addo Kofour by the Outgone CO of 2BN then Lt Col Obed Akwa as Military Aid/Adviser to the Minster of Defence now His Excellency Ambassador General Obed Akwa (a former Army Commander and Ex-CDS). So the then Minister of Defence supplied Military Units with seedlings of Oil Palm, Mangoes etc for tree planting to protect military lands and a source of food/internal income generating source.. Hence, the importance of a Minister

The author is fully aware that 6Bn, Tamale currently has land problem or dispute with some Chiefs, spiritual heads and people of Tamale. A Sector Minister as a political head, could help solve the problem.

Another issues is Regional security threat

This dictates a need for a dedicated Defense Minister who will coordinate with his colleagues outside Ghana especially in the sub region to deal with the increase regional instability and potential terrorist threats especially in West Africa. Hence the need for Strategic Direction and Coordination cannot be over stressed, so, a substantial or substantive Defense Minister is needed to provide clear leadership, coordinate the Armed Forces and handled international intelligence rather than relying on an acting minister who has no full authority to push major defense agenda

Addressing the potential vacuum cannot be over stressed.

The Finance Minister, Dr Cassel Forson with big headache at his Ministry with rumors of he was/is not making enough release of funds and due to that he may be perceived as unsupportive some may say enemy to some appointees for not making funds available for essentials. So allowing him to oversee the ministry of Defense with Officers with large egos for almost 8 months after the fatal helicopter crash, is not the best. Ghana or the NDC has very strong and well qualified persons, so urgent need, to fill the position now to prevent vacuum in the national security architecture.