A Civil Society Organization calling itself Anchoring Democracy Advocacy Movement Ghana (ADAM GH) has petitioned the Commander in Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces who is also the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo over what it described as irregular appointments in the Ghana Armed Forces.
The Civil Society Group seeks to anchor proper democratic principles, protect Ghana’s democracy the rule of law, fight corruption and ensure peace and security in the country.
In a petition signed by the General Secretary Azubila Emmanuel Abdul-Salam drew the attention of the President over unlawful appointments in the Ghana Armed Forces which according to him undermines due process with regards to seniority and who qualifies to be the Commanding Officer and Cashier of the Forces Pay Regiment, in Burma Camp.
He called on the President to intervene and put things in order, in his capacity as the President and Commander in Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces and to calm tempers within the Ghana Armed Forces before things get out of hand.
ADAM GH in the petition stated that It is obvious that, the appointment of the Commanding Officer and Cashier of the Forces Pay Regiment is unambiguously stated in the Command and Staff Instructions and Procedures, Volume 6, Section 4.12(c) on page 9 provides as follows; 4.12(c) Acting Appointments of An officer who is not fully qualified to fill a higher appointment in a substantive capacity may be appointed to fill an appointment temporarily in an acting capacity.
According to him, the post of Commanding Officer of the Forces Pay Regiment is by the Armed Forces rules and regulations reserved for senior officers of the rank of full Colonel and above, not persons of the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
This he said is specifically provided for in the Organizational Structure of the new Forces Pay Regiment created by the Ministry of Defense Instructions (MDI) No. 4 of September 2014 (Promulgations Instructions for the Re-Designation of the Forces Pay Office as Forces Pay Regiment).
“From the above, it is clear that Acting Appointments are supposed to be temporal and should not take the full duration as a qualified officer appointed into the position”.
The group in it petition further revealed that the current Acting Commanding Officer, Lt Col Theophilus Oswald Afotey Laryea (GH/3117), has been acting as such since June 2019 when the then substantive Commanding Officer left office adding that when the List of Postings, Promotions and Appointments was published by the Military Secretary on 18th June 2020, Lt Col T.O Laryea’s acting role was formalized and the status quo has remained so to date.
Below is the full Petition of ADAM-GH
24TH DECEMBER 2021.
COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE GHANA ARMED FORCES AND PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA, HIS EXCELLENCY NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO ADDO.
PETITION AGAINST IRREGULAR APPOINTMENTS IN THE GHANA ARMED FORCES
Anchoring Democracy Advocacy Movement Ghana (ADAM GH) is a Civil Society Organization that anchors proper democratic principles, protects Ghana’s democracy and the rule of law, fights corruption, ensures peace and security of our country, promotes the welfare of society and advocates for proper fundamental human rights.
ADAM-GH with the greatest of respect to your high office will like to draw your attention to a serious unlawful appointment in the Ghana Armed Forces that undermines due process with regards to seniority and who qualifies to be the Commanding Officer and Cashier of the Forces Pay Regiment, in Burma Camp.
Your Excellency, we wish to bring to your attention these on-going irregularities in the Ghana Armed Forces and to humbly call on you to intervene and put things in order, in your capacity as the President and Commander in Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces and to calm tempers before things further get out of hand. The post of Commanding Officer of the Forces Pay Regiment is by the Armed Forces rules and regulations reserved for senior officers of the rank of full Colonel and above, not persons of the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
This is specifically provided for in the Organizational Structure of the new Forces Pay Regiment created by the Ministry of Defense Instructions (MDI) No. 4 of September 2014 (Promulgations Instructions for the Re-Designation of the Forces Pay Office as Forces Pay Regiment). It is obvious that, the appointment of the Commanding Officer and Cashier of the Forces Pay Regiment is unambiguously stated in the Command and Staff Instructions and Procedures, Volume 6, Section 4.12(c) on page 9 provides as follows; 4.12(c) Acting Appointments of An officer who is not fully qualified to fill a higher appointment in a substantive capacity may be appointed to fill an appointment temporarily in an acting capacity.
Such appointment shall not qualify him for Pay of Higher Rank. From the above, it is clear that Acting Appointments are supposed to be temporal and should not take the full duration as a qualified officer appointed into the position. Unfortunately, the current Acting Commanding Officer, Lt Col Theophilus Oswald Afotey Laryea (GH/3117), has been acting as such since June 2019 when the then substantive Commanding Officer left office. And when the List of Postings, Promotions and Appointments was published by the Military Secretary on 18th June 2020, Lt Col T.O Laryea’s acting role was formalized and the status quo has remained so to date.
What is even more baffling about this irregularities is that, the regular tenure for substantive Commanding Officers of the Regiment is usually three (3) years. However, the current CO’s supposed temporal tenure has covered almost the entire three years already, being two and half years in December 2021.
Worst still, there are clearly more qualified and more experienced senior officers in the Pay Corps who could easily fill the post of Commanding Officer of the Pay Regiment. Yet all of them have been surprisingly ignored in preference for the current Commanding officer who is not yet qualified to take up the post. Mr. President In fact ADAM GH checks and investigations revealed that there are at least five (5) fully qualified Colonels in the Pay Corps including:
1. GH/2433 Col CB Oddoye
2. GH/2440 Col SS Kumi
3. GH/2827 Col K Yankson
4. GH/2808 Col S Osumanu
5. GH/2979 Capt (GN) DY Akotey
Take note sir, the Capt rank in the Navy is equivalent of the Colonel rank in the Army. Your Excellency, in fact, even aside all the full Colonels listed above, when it comes to the Lt Cols level, Lt Col Laryea is not the senior-most. Thus, in the absence of all the full Colonels mentioned above in the Pay Corps, Lt Col Laryea could not have been the senior-most to be considered if, out of the blue, the list of Lt Cols were to be considered. Indeed some of his seniors on the Lt Col role in the Pay Corps include: GH/2892 Lt Col M Tettey-Matey and GH/3070 Lt Col DY Deegbe
It, therefore, remains a mystery to Ghanaians and a lot of officers in the Ghana Armed Forces in general and the Pay Corps in particular, as to why all the fully qualified senior officers should be bypassed and Lt Col Laryea should be picked over and above his superiors.
1. Why should Lt. Col. Laryea be retained in an acting capacity for almost three years?
2.What is the duration for even a qualified Col. Appointed to serve as pay Corps?
3.What at all is the interest of Ghana Armed Forces to use unqualified officer to undermine his superiors and the GAF procedures?
4.How healthy is this with regards to due process in the Army?
5.Is Lt. Col. Laryea paid as Pay Corps Higher Rank officer or an acting Lt. Col?
Indeed, with hindsight, it is clear that his appointment in an acting capacity was not genuine but designed to give him the full substantive post for the regular three-year tenure regardless of the fact that he was not qualified for it neither, was he the most experienced when compared to his seniors or peers. Additionally, in line with well established conventions in the Ghana Armed Forces, the Defense Financial Comptroller (DFC) is the one who nominates the Cashier of the Forces Pay Regiment for Appointment. Yet, this time around, the DFC’s nomination for the post of Cashier (GH/3360 Maj Okyere-Duah) was cancelled and a new one (GH/3403 Cdr D.O Bempong) was appointed by the Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) purportedly by a mere telephone call. Thus in both instances, the right procedures for appointment were not followed.
These anomalies have led to a situation where the morale of senior officers in the Pay Corps has negatively been affected with a number of them harboring grudges but unable to openly and freely complain for fear of victimization.
We suspected that, the situation further compounded with suspicion of political interference by frequent visits, sometimes with some of them in motorcades, to the Acting Commanding Officer’s office at the Forces Pay Regiment, Burma Camp, by former military officers some of whom are now political appointees, including retired Col Damoah (now Commissioner, CEPS) and Lt Col Ababio Serebour (now Chief Director, Ministry of National Security); in the full glare of soldiers, and for reasons best known to themselves.
It is also interesting to note that the said Lt Col Laryea issues began under the former Chief of Defence Staff, Lt Gen OB Akwa, and the current Chief of Army Staff, Maj Gen Oppong Pepprah, is one of the service commanders still directly superintending over the issue, as these matters directly fall under his watch.
Your Excellency, this unlawful practice in the Army seem to be coming a norm which is likely to generate a very worrying situation if you did not intervene immediately.
This is because, the Second-in-Command (2IC) of the Forces Pay Regiment (FPR), GH/3334 Lt Col Agyenim-Boateng was also appointed as the 2IC of the FPR while he was still a Major, contrary to the laid down regulations in the Ministry of Defence Instructions (MDIs) that set up the Forces Pay Regiment.
It was just five (5) months ago that he was promoted from Major to Lt Col in the MS Publication dated 9th July 2021, Ref No. GHQ/18023/MS, Serial No. 51 page A-4.
He also jumped over his senior officers in the same way his boss did when there were eight other senior officers who were senior to him. Yet he was picked from the bottom and this is also sowing seeds of discord among the senior officers in the Pay Corps.
These seniors are:
GH/2494 Cdr ABS Lawani
GH/3057 Lt Col MA Nkrumah
GH/3175 Lt Col E Osei-Gyebi
GH/3189 Lt Col BM Blay
GH/3200 Lt Col DA Azadda
GH/3257 Lt Col MN Nankpan
GH/3295 Lt Col S Attu-Buameh
GH/3333 Lt Col FM Brown
Your Excellency, it is our fervent hope that you will intervene to ensure that the right things are done, in order to ensure that proper discipline is maintained in the Ghana Armed Forces, including the appointment of senior officers to the higher echelons of the Pay Corps.
We Respectfully submit and with hope that this Petition shall receive your quick intervention.
Thank you.
Yours faithfully,
……………………
AZUBILA EMMANUEL ABDUL-SALAM
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, ANCHORING DEMOCRACY ADVOCACY MOVEMENT GHANA (ADAM-GH).
CONTACT:. 0544418072, 0507629533, 0545270290.
JOHN KWAME ADU JACK
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH AND MEDIA RELATIONS, ADAM-GH.
CONTACT: 0208307003
IBRAHIM A.MUMUNI,
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS, ADAM-GH
CONTACT: 024348 6397
CC:
MINISTER OF DEFENSE
GHANA ACCRA. HON. DOMINIC NITIWUL
CHIEF OF DEFENSE STAFF GHANA ARMED FORCES BURMA CAMP ACCRA.
Source: Muhammed Faisal Mustapha
1 comment
Not surprising at all
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