AFRICOM to sharpen skills of military

Participants of the seminar The First United States – Africa Command Inspector General (IG) outreach conference opened at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) with the aim to help African military leaders champion standards, performance and also illustrate how the work of the IG system contributes to the fight against crime and corruption. The conference, which ends on Thursday, would provide a platform to discuss IG’s missions, principles, organizational structures, operations, challenges and best practices of the system in the various countries. Col. Ron Baldinger of the US Air Force explained the IG system as a military commander’s tool to instill, maintain accountability as well as professionalism. He said it allowed the military commanders to also ensure soldiers and their families got a venue for exposing violations coupled with wrongdoing when all other avenues had failed. “The IG is the means by which a commander can monitor forces for compliance with established standards and policies”, he said. Facilitators of the three-day conference were drawn from both the military and government agencies in the US, France, Sierra Leone along with members of the African Parliamentarians’ Network Against Corruption (APNAC) to share their IG experience with over 23 countries represented. Col. Baldinger hopes that after the conference on Thursday, the participants would take away with them, the general knowledge and best practices of the IG systems. In his remarks, the Commandant of the KAIPTC, Air Vice Marshal Christian Edem Dovlo urged all participants to exchange ideas with both the facilitators and their fellow members. He linked some of the KAIPTC’s core principles and values to the IG, mentioning professionalism, excellence, honesty, integrity and accountability. Its other functions include the creation of platforms for sharing experience between “our armed forces and other regional and international bodies and we believe that this IG conference will go a long way in satisfying these”, he emphasized. Credit: Nathaniel Y. Yankson/nayank80@gmail.com

National security operatives delete recording of Joy FM reporter

Lt Col Gbevlo Lartey National Security Coordinator A reporter from Joy FM on Wednesday had his recording of an interview with an aggrieved ex-national security operatives deleted by officials of national security. Moses Kanga had recorded the sentiments of the retrenched employees at the car park of the national security but was forced to delete the recording. The about thirty ex-national security operatives in a re-enactment of the 28th February 1948 march by ex-servicemen, strode into the offices of the National Security on Wednesday, demanding to see Lt Col Gbevlo Lartey, the national security coordinator over their unpaid gratuities. Moses Kanga said he was forced to delete the recording with the aggrieved operative without reason, adding, he had no option. The deletion was after he was questioned about his reasons for his presence in the national security premises and the content of the recording played to the hearing of the security officials. The reporter said after listening to contents of his interview with the spokesperson of the aggrieved former employees, Samuel Ansah, the security operatives authorised him to delete the recording. Samuel Ansah told Joy News’ Dzifa Bampoh he was also unjustifiably forced out of the offices by other security operatives for no stated reasons. He explained the appointments of about 82 security operatives were terminated in August 2009 with the assurances that government will pay them their gratuities, but nothing was heard since then. He said several attempts to reclaim their monies, including a petition to the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative (CHRAJ) have proven futile. On Wednesday they planned to pay the national security coordinator, a friendly visit to register their protest and to find out when government will make true its promise to them. Unfortunately they did not meet Lt Col Gbevlo Lartey, he said, adding he was personally prevented from meeting with the administrator of the office of National Security with threats of assault on him, he alleged. Subsequently he learnt that management had agreed to deal with a lawyer representing the aggrieved ex-workers. Samuel Ansah who claimed to be a trained soldier and had served in the Ghana Army for 12 years debunked assertions his appointment as national security operative was politically motivated. He noted government will be setting a wrong precedence if national security operatives aree dismissed merely on suspicion of allegiance to previous government. He said failure by government to pay the gratuity is making it difficult for him to cater for his 20 months old baby. Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana

Keeping Betty Mould in office is a problem for her and gov't - Kwesi Pratt

Kwesi Pratt fires government The Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Mr Kwesi Pratt has lashed out at the government for its lackadaisical attitude to prosecuting former government officials believed to have committed financial crimes against the state. He said the government was by its inaction wavering in its commitment to dealing with the canker of corruption. Speaking to Joy News, the anti-corruption campaigner said there was every justification for some Ghanaians, particularly members of the ruling NDC to be unhappy with the delays in prosecuting former government officials. He said it was inexcusable for the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Betty Mould Iddrisu not to have taken any significant steps towards prosecuting perceived corrupt government officials. With those comments, Mr Pratt has joined a tall list of disgruntled members of the NDC who believe Mrs Mould Iddrisu has been painfully inept in bringing to justice those who stole state money. “All the cases of corruption and there are thousands of them – if you read the Auditor-General’s Report from 2001 to the present, the cases of misapplication of funds, direct theft and so on – are huge,” he said. Mr Pratt catalogued a litany of things he believes establishes a prima facie case of corruption against appointees of the Kufuor administration stating for instance “if you look at the Auditor-General’s Report on the public purse for 2008, it is totally shocking, more than fifty-one billion cedis has been lost by the state and some action ought to be [taken].” Stopping short of calling for the dismissal of Mrs Mould Iddrisu, Mr said, “if Betty Mould is retained, it is a huge problem for her and the government.” The A-G has come under constant pressure to crack the whip and haul members of the previous government to court to answer charges of corruption and graft but she says she needs compelling evidence – something many of her accusers are not buying. They believe she has more than convincing evidence to proceed to court and secure convictions. This is not the first time Mr Pratt is baring his chest about his frustrations regarding the government’s inaction on corruption. Last year he called on the president to crack the whip but those calls appeared to have fallen on deaf ears. Story by Malik Abass Daabu/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana

Ghana's security system is virtually broken down - Dr Aning

Dr Kwesi Aning There is a systemic failure somewhere and that systemic failures is beginning to be so widespread that people just don’t respect the law anymore because the security system has broken down basically Dr Emmanuel Kwesi Aning The Head of Research at the Kofi Annan Peace Keeping Training Centre, Dr Emmanuel Kwesi Aning says there is a dangerous increasing sense of insecurity in the country. That, he said was because “there is a systemic failure somewhere and that systemic failure is beginning to be so widespread that people just don’t respect the law anymore because the security system has broken down basically”. He said Ghana’s security system was “not responsive, not preventive enough and is basically an archaic institution”. Dr Aning, who was speaking on the increasing reports of violent confrontations and in some cases murder, (two die in Amasaman), (47 arrested over murder of chief),told Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, Wednesday, hosted by Evans Mensah, that the moribund nature of the security services was leading to the lowering of the threshold of tolerance regarding criminality, violence, access to guns “so that in our [subconscious mind] now, if I own a piece of land it is legitimate to actually hire land guards to protect that land for me”. “Because those who are at the front-lines are badly trained, the recruitment is poor, is looked at through the political lens, their ability even to analyse and then suggest responses is also looked at through the political lens and because there is an ulterior motive in securitising problems in Ghana that does not look at these problems through the Ghana lens, the response mechanisms are always very narrow, focused on attaining particular narrow needs and is not put in a more holistic response strategy,” he said. “This narrowness and this parochial approach at understanding security and responding to the challenges that arise,” he argued, “is what is leading to the breakdown” and lack of confidence in the state’s ability to adequately protect the citizenry. He expressed concern that the cost of protecting investments had unnecessarily increased – constituting about the third or fourth highest component of investing in Ghana - because businesses had to make special provisions to protect their investments – something the state security is failing to do. He said that “the ability and capability of our security system to prevent, to gather [intelligence] data, to analyse it and present suggestions for response is almost non-existent”. The security expert observed quite curiously that while the country’s police service had a numerical strength of about 37,000 in 1991, that number had dwindled to about 19,000 in 2010, juxtaposed with increasing population. What is even worse, this reduction in the number of police personnel also came with a sustained debilitating reduction in budgetary allocation to the police, he said, and wondered why a depleted police service - in men and money and possibly morale - could be expected to properly police the nation’s security. He said he was willing to bear the consequences of his outspokenness on the issues because action needed to be taken by the authorities to reverse the trend. “Next time I’m travelling through Accra, NACOB [Narcotics Control Board] will search me, Immigration and Customs [Excise and Preventive Service] will search me, and they will do it very rudely because of what I’m saying but that is their problem, not mine. The system just does not work.” Dr Aning stressed the need for the authorities to pursue a paradigm shift in the manner in which the security services are treated, reminding the president that the buck stop with him, so he must make sure the police in particular are properly funded, resourced and trained so as to help them maintain the country’s peace and security. The Executive Secretary of the West Africa Network for Peace (WANEP), Mr Emmanuel Bombande who was also a discussant on the subject agreed largely with Dr Aning. He stressed the need for the security systems in the country to be restructured so they shed their colonial mentality. “It has now become obvious that police can no longer maintain law and order based on the arrangement around which it was oriented and around which it was created,” he said. Mr Bombande believes that about 90 per cent of conflicts in the country have political undertones and wants a rededication on the part of the political elite helping to keep the country peaceful. Story by Malik Abass Daabu/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana

Alleged Meeting With JJ; National Security Speaks To PEACEFM

National Security Adviser, Brigadier General (rtd) Joseph Nunoo-Mensah, has denied holding any meeting with other security heads and former president Jerry John Rawlings on the murder of the former Deputy Managing Director of the Ghana Commercial Bank, Roko Frimpong.

A statement issued by the Ministry of Information in Accra on Tuesday and signed by James Agyenim- Boateng, Deputy Minister for Information, stated that neither Brigadier General Nunoo-Mensah nor the National Security Coordinator Colonel (rtd) Larry Gbevlo-Lartey had ever been invited by the former President to any meeting to discuss the Roko Frimpong murder.

“No security meeting has ever been held at the Jubilee House, part of which now houses the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” it said.

The statement cautioned the media against the increasing tendency to knowingly and deliberately peddle falsehood with the intention to frame up people, especially government officials and members of the ruling party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

“To make up a story knowing very well that there’s no iota of truth in it, and presenting it to the public in the manner that the tabloid did, cannot be said to be good journalistic practice.”

Government says it hopes the new National Media Commission (NMC) will be effective in performing its constitutional role by ensuring that the media work to enhance the country’s development “rather than fan trouble through deliberate falsehood”.

“This definitely is a matter that government will be forwarding to the NMC for action, but we do not think that our newspapers and other media outlets should be engaging in this kind of journalism,” the statement said.

Later in an exclusive interview with Kwami Sefa Kayi on PEACEFM’s “Kokrokoo”, the National Security Adviser, Brigadier General (rtd) Joseph Nunoo-Mensah said there is “absolutely no truth in what the newspaper wrote.”

“…the last time I met the former president was about a month ago…I have only been to the Jubilee House once…but this story is not true…if I had been there, it would have been different, but I don’t even pass by the building when I’m heading to my office…the story is 100% lies…there are a number of things I don’t engage in, chiefly among the things I don’t do is telling lies. I don’t lie, even if it will lead to my death I always tell the truth…this is not the first time some newspaper have carried publications which are totally false….i support press freedom…but it’s not fair and proper to indulge in fibbing, especially knowing very well that you are not telling the truth…,” the security capo said to Sefa Kayi.

Source: Peacefmonline with some information from Ministry of Information

British commission's security guards protest poor pay, others

From Terhemba Daka, Abuja

SECURITY operatives attached to the British High Commission and the DFID in Abuja yesterday morning staged a peaceful protest over alleged poor condition of service and what they described as nonchalant attitude of the authorities to their general welfare.

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The protest was staged at the gates leading to the Visa section of the Commission in Abuja and the British Village located in the Maitama Area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The workers also claimed to be protesting what they called 'third party contract' as adopted by the British High Commission, which they said was not favourable to them in all ramifications. The action, however, did not disrupt official duties of the Commission.

It was learnt that the operatives also known as Guards numbering over 410 in Nigeria, yesterday carried out the protest simultaneously in all the British offices located in Kano, Kaduna, and Enugu following alleged failure of the British High Commission in Nigeria to accede to their demands.

Some of the Guards, who wore red bands on their official uniforms turned inside out complained that the N27, 300 monthly salaries, excluding other compulsory deductions is grossly inadequate, considering the global economic crunch.

One of the protesters who spoke on condition of anonymity explained that "by the time some compulsory deductions are made, which include pension, taxes, union dues and transportation levies, which averagely take away about N300 per day, one is left with less than N10,000 at the end of the month".

Bemoaning their condition of service, The Guard said the "Security operatives are made to work for several hours against the labour law in Nigeria, which is eight hours per day. We have been subjected to 12 hours for one week with no access to medical services and leave. We are not entitled to public holiday allowances as well as severance benefits at the end of service, among other things. They come to Nigeria, make their money but don't care about us."

In a July 2009 letter of appeal addressed to the Deputy High Commissioner, British High Commission in Abuja on the need to attend to their plight, the Guards through their affiliate body, National Union of Hotels and Personal Services Workers (NUHPSW) had called on the British authorities to look into their conditions dispassionately.

Chairman of the striking Guards in Abuja, Suleiman Onuche, explained that all efforts by the union to resolve the matter have not been successful. According to him: " the Minister of Labour has even intervened in the matter but up till now, the authorities have refused to comply with the outcome of the meeting with the minister."

On how long the strike will last, Onuche explained that the one day protest was a warning to register their grievances to their employers who are supposed to be sensitive to their welfare and improve on their salaries among others.

"As we want it to be, we intend to continue throughout today (yesterday, Wednesday) after today we will call it off as a warning to them. If they refuse to comply, then we will think of the next line of action", he said.

Attempts by newsmen to speak with an official of the British High Commission on the matter were rebuffed by a police officer.

Rawlings is Undermining President Mills’ Authority

It is very unhelpful for President Mills to say that “If someone will do it for me so be it,” in reference to a visit by Ex-President Rawlings in Brong Ahafo in which he allegedly visited military formations and inspected guard of honour. To say, “If someone will do it for me so be it” when the President has not authorised him to visit military formations and inspect guard of honour is a dangerous act that could undermine the security of our nation and destroy our fledging democracy. I am sure President Mills knows the security implications of allowing someone with a record of coups to visit military installations, inspect a guard of honour, visit military formations, and forcefully enter restricted areas at the airport to take pictures when the president has not authorised him to.

If someone could freely visit military installations, inspect guard of honour, issue warnings to the president then what does it entails? First it shows a president who is not in control of affairs neither in his party nor the nation. Second, it shows a President whose constitutional power and authority as the commander-in-chief of the army are being undermined daily by the supposed founder of his party and has no idea how to react. Third, it shows a weak and a frustrated president who is unable to tame his party officials and could only bark when his ability to govern is constantly being undermined. It shows a President who is doing all that he can to avoid collusion with his former boss but is constantly being taunted and invited for a fight.

The recent utterances and actions of Jerry Rawlings coupled with his profile as a serial coup maker, should be a major concern to Mills and all those who subscribe to democracy and rule of law. The activities and behaviour of the former Chairman of AFRC, PNDC and founder of NDC should be a major concern not only President Mills but to our development partners.

Those who can read negative security signals can testify that what Rawlings is doing now is nothing but a preparation for what will happen in future should he decides to break ranks with Mills. Rawlings is slowly building support in the army and weakening the standing, loyalty and support of the president. He is appearing friendly to the army to boost his popularity while undermining the position of the commander-in-chief.

What is so serious is the way the army officers welcomed him and allowed him to inspect the guard of honour without asking the most crucial question as to whether Rawlings had authority from the President to inspect the guard of honour and visit the military formations.

Should the current warnings and criticisms by Rawlings degenerate into power struggle between him and Mills, it is obvious that the army will choose Rawlings because of the support he is building. This is exactly what happened after the AFRC had handed over power to Limann.

Rawlings has demonstrated ample evidence that he has no patience and stomach for democracy, pragmatism, and politics of inclusion. He has enough record to show that he can easily breakaway from whoever has been his ally. His relationship with the likes of Boakye Gyan, Totobi Quakye, P.V. Obeng, Obed Asamoah should be a reminder that he Rawlings cannot keep a permanent friend. We all know what happened to Limann after he had said Rawlings would not overthrow his government. Rawlings struck less than three years after handing over power and continued as a dictator for another 19 years.

We are all witnesses or at least some of us are witnesses to his barbaric regimes that saw all but one ex-heads of states killed in cold blood. I need not to remind Ghanaians what will befall its political, business leaders if Rawlings utterances and actions transform into deeds. The truth is that Ghanaians have seen what Rawlings is doing before and paid dearly for tolerating it.

To avoid the repeat of the AFRC, PNDC and the incursion of the military into the politics of the country, President Mills should not to allow Rawlings the free hand he is currently having in entering unauthorised security areas and taking pictures at the airport, visiting military installations and inspecting a guard of honour when the president has not authorised him to do so. It is also important for President Mills to constantly review the security situation in the country and as a matter of necessity check his own security team to avoid any disloyalty.

Rawlings will say contrary to popular opinion that he has a diabolical agenda by visiting military installations but we all know that actions speak louder than words and that is true when dealing with Rawlings. As the situation stands today, it is only President Mills who can restrict Rawlings from doing what he is doing and therefore the onus is on the president to either stop him or allow him to undermine his government and eventually overthrow it.

By Lord Aikins Adusei

(Political Activist and Anti-Corruption Campaigner)