The Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Haruna Iddrissu has in a few words sent a heavy message to the world about the personality of late Captain Kojo Tsikata (Rtd.) and who was in his life.
The Leader of the NDC Caucus in parliament has described the fallen hero as “The Political Colossus & all-time Strategist” adding that the opposition National Democratic Congress is great today due to Capt. Tsikata’s tenacity and use of strategies at the grassroots level to reflect the ideals of the party.
According to Haruna, “You thought me that there is Grace in Silence and Forgiveness in the Heart. NDC is great today due to your tenacity & use of Strategies at Grassroots level to reflect the ideals of the Party”.
Haruna’s full tribute:
“The Political Colossus & all-time Strategist, Rest in Peace. You thought me that there is Grace in Silence & Forgiveness in the Heart. NDC is great today due to your tenacity & use of Strategies at Grassroots level to reflect the ideals of the Party”. Haruna on Capt. Tsikata”
Profile of Capt. Kojo Tsikata (Rtd.)
Kojo Tsikata died on 20 November 2021 at age 85. He was a Ghanaian military officer and politician, who served as the Head of National Security and Foreign Affairs of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC). He was listed as a retired army captain in the Ghana Army.
Tsikata was born in 1936. He attended the Achimota School for his secondary education. One of his student colleagues was Obed Asamoah who later became the longest-serving Minister for Foreign Affairs in Ghana. While there, he was influenced by a recruitment drive to join the Ghana Army after completing his secondary education. He was sent to England where he attended the officer cadet course at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
Tsikata was sent to the Congo with Major General Ankrah as part of a Ghanaian military contingent with orders from Kwame Nkrumah to protect the Pan-Africanist and anti-neocolonialist Patrice Lumumba, who was the Prime Minister. He later visited Conakry, Guinea, to visit Nkrumah. He was arrested, detained, and put on death row as a suspect of an assassination plot against Nkrumah on his arrival.
Samora Machel, a freedom fighter, intervened to pardon him. Samora travelled with him to Mozambique. He later arrived in Angola in 1964 to join MPLA fighters and internationalist fighters from Cuba.
He was appointed in 1982 under the Jerry Rawlings administration. He had been in charge of national security since 1982 and later joined the Rawlings administration on 21 January 1995. He was a member of the council of state and a captain of the Ghana Armed Forces. He also served as a member of the Council of State of Ghana.
In 1995, he was asked to join a negotiating team with Mohamed Ibn Chambas who was the then Deputy Foreign Minister, and Brigadier General Agyemfra, accompanied by Harry Mouzillas from the Ghana News Agency as a journalist to cover the events. They travelled to join James Victor Gbeho, the Resident Representative of then Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings and Mr. Ate Allotey, a diplomat.
He rejected a national award to be conferred on him in the category of the Companion of the Order of the Volta by President Kuffour. He was listed as one of the six government officials under the NDC regime to receive the award.
He was appointed by Gaddafi to a senior advisory position in charge of the Al Mathaba central committee, a support centre for the liberation movement and anti-imperialist and anti-Zionist organisations.