Blows Over IGP

Published in Daily Guide on January 16, 2013

By Charles Takyi-Boadu

A meeting of the Management Board of the Police Administration at the headquarters took a nasty turn last Wednesday when Commissioner of Police (COP) Rose Atinga Bio, in charge of Administration, was alleged to have engaged in verbal exchanges with the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, Mohammed Alhassan, following a misunderstanding.
At the centre of the undercurrent to the present tension in the service is the jostling for the position of the next Inspector General of Police (IGP).
Sources said it was a normal meeting of the top echelon of the service where the agenda included the issue of promotions and transfers which the IGP, Paul Tawiah Quaye, had ordered, his last major assignment prior to retirement.
DAILY GUIDE learnt that DIG Alhassan sought to exert his authority as Chairman of the management meeting (formerly known as Headquarters Management Board) by pulling a brake on the promotions and transfers.
But Rose Bio Atinga was said to have refused to submit to the authority of the DIG, pointing out that the will of the IGP be done, since according to her, he (Alhassan) was the head of the police, but she was in charge of Administration in the service.
Matters were said to have got to a head when Rose Bio allegedly demanded possession of the file containing the list of the affected officers.
A message about the development was said to have been transmitted to the seat of government, the Osu Castle, where a directive was issued asking that any such transfers and promotions be suspended until the appointment of a substantive Interior Minister.
Next IGP
Behind this acrimony among the top brass of the police is the race for the IGP post.
There is intense lobbying in the Police with even Assistant Commissioners of Police (ACPs) declaring their interest for consideration.
Some COPs are highly qualified for the top job but they are seen as politically incorrect, leaving the turf for Rose Bio, Alhassan and John Kudalor.
Some of these ACPs are said to be saying that there was no sense in appointing Commissioners who have barely a year to leave the Service to the position of IGP when most of them (ACPs) have more years to serve.
Deputy Chief Constable Mohammed Alhassan admitted there was a meeting but he denied the misunderstanding between him and Rose Bio Atinga when DAILY GUIDE contacted him yesterday.
“It is not the way they are putting it; of course we share ideas, it’s an open forum, there can’t be any misunderstanding,” he told DAILY GUIDE.
“We want the best ideas out that’s all. We may agree and not agree on issues but that does not mean there can’t be any misunderstanding.”
Meanwhile, COP John Kudalor appears to be the favourite for the post of IGP.
For those who have noticed the inclination of government towards the man who has been in charge of the police, especially during the elections, they have wondered why DIG Mohammed Alhassan is being marginalized.
Mr Alhassan, the most experienced and senior officer after the retiring IGP, having held critical police positions at the United Nations (UN), has a year more to leave the Service, a fact which does not preclude him from being appointed chief constable.
There is however a precedent in the police service as in the case of former IGP Ernest Owusu Poku’s appointment in the year 2001 when the NPP assumed political power.
Though the man had less than a year to go on retirement, then President John Kufuor appointed him acting IGP, a position he held until his time was up.
Nana Owusu Nsiah took over the mantle thereafter till he retired in the year 2005 followed by Patrick Kwarteng Acheampong and Elizabeth Robertson Mills.
With the name of Mr Kudalor now flying high in government circles as likely IGP, the hopes of Rose Bio Atinga, in becoming the next IGP after the incumbent, appears to be dashed.
She therefore seems to have given up any hope of winning the favour of the authorities.
Convention
The Ghana Police Service has become a hotbed of politically-propelled promotions and postings to special units with the present developments not being an exception.
With the recent directive that all transfers be stopped forthwith until a new and substantive Interior Minister is appointed, the suggestion is that the President is intent on following such movements and even elevations with all his heart.
Even the admission of eligible persons into the Police College has been suspended, a development which could mean that for some, they have to lobby more to be given the nod.
During the last intake, some persons had their names dropped even after passing the entrance exams, a situation which prompted grumbling and frustration amongst police officers.
It is therefore a widely held belief that whoever wears the cap of IGP would either live with the many anomalies in the Service or attempt to reverse the order and incur the wrath of his political masters.
Even recruitment into the Service has been stained with instances of malfeasance.
Not too long ago, some police officers were arrested at the Police Hospital undertaking recruitment under the cover of darkness.
Virtually nothing has since been heard of what happened to the case with details being kept under wraps.

NPP Man Stabbed

Published in Daily Guide on December 14, 2012

By Charles Takyi-Boadu

A supporter of the opposition New Patriotic Party who had been stabbed while en routr to an NPP rally protesting election results, is carried by another man to get medical help, in Accra, on Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012. Ghana’s opposition party said they plan to contest the results of the election, ignoring the appeals of the international community, which fears that a protracted political fight could destabilize one of the only established democracies in the Africa. (AP Photo/Christian Thompson)

A supporter of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) was stabbed on Tuesday at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle by a man believed to be an activist of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Media reports including that of Joy FM had rather indicated that the victim was a supporter of the governing NDC.
However, DAILY GUIDE investigations showed that the victim, whose name was not immediately known, was an NPP member attending a rally organized by the opposition party at the Obra Spot at Kwame Nkrumah Circle, Accra.
Accra-based Joy FM claimed “a man said to be wearing a National Democratic Congress T-Shirt was stabbed Tuesday, at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle by some persons said to be irate New Patriotic Party supporters.”
The story was said to have been confirmed by Greater Accra regional Police Commander, Commissioner of Police (COP) Patrick Timbilla.
This was when hordes of NPP supporters poured onto the streets of Accra to protest the Electoral Commission (EC’s) declaration of President John Dramani Mahama as winner of the just-ended Presidential election on Sunday.
The incident happened on the main Nkrumah Circle overhead bridge.
But eyewitnesses at the scene including a photographer with the American wire service, Associated Press (AP), Christian Thompson, indeed confirmed to DAILY GUIDE that it was rather a supporter of the of the main opposition party, the NPP, who was  yet to be identified, that was stabbed allegedly by an NDC faithful.
Though he could not tell what might have prompted the action, he was certain that the one stabbed was an NPP supporter since he was clad in the red, white and blue traditional colours of the party with an NPP flag tied to his wrist, whilst his assailant fled the scene.
This was evident in a picture of the event posted on the website of AP on the link: www.apimages.com/ghana elections2012, which was captioned: “a supporter of the opposition New Patriotic Party who had been stabbed while en route to an NPP rally protesting election results, is carried by another man to get medical help, in Accra, Ghana, on Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012.”
Though Christopher was said to have personally called into Joy FM to correct the anomaly the very day it posted the story on its website www.myjoyonline.com, because he witnessed the incident himself, his call seemed to have fallen on deaf ears since the story remained the same on the news site till date.
A member of the Young Patriots, Richard Kwasi Nyamah, told DAILY GUIDE yesterday, “This publication is an attempt to tarnish the image of the NPP and portray us as violent”, insisting, “The stabbing incident that took place was on an NPP supporter by an unidentified person who fled after the incident.”
According to him, the blood-stained t-shirt which was worn by the victim was even shown to the crowd and they subsequently informed the police about the incident.
He had since demanded a correction to the said story since according to him, “the NPP is a law abiding party that will not do anything to jeopardize the peace of Ghana.”
He noted, “Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has consistently advised the rank and file of the party to remain patient but resolute” and “has admonished us not to resort to violence and to trust the party leadership to use due process to address our concerns”.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu

Tony Aidoo Grabs Castle Car For ¢6,200

Published in Daily Guide on November 14, 2012

Sammy Awuku and Tony Aidoo

By Charles Takyi-Boadu

The Head of the Monitoring and Policy Evaluation unit at the Presidency, Dr. Tony Aidoo, is said to be a major beneficiary of a government largesse, having grabbed a state-owned Ford Expedition vehicle for a paltry sum of GH¢6, 200.
The 4×4 vehicle, a 2005 model, was one of the several vehicles used by the previous Kufuor administration as part of the presidential fleet and estimated to cost not less than US$40,000 (GH¢80, 000).
Sammy Awuku described the transaction as ‘evil’ but did not trust that President Mahama would correct the ill.
“This is really evil, this is really criminal, this is very unethical, this is naked robbery and this is very Machiavellian,” Awuku parodied Pastor Mensa Otabil.
He insisted that this incident typified the corruption under the Mahama administration and urged all to be “vigilant across the borders, the DVLA and other agencies of state where these looting brigade and babies with sharp teeth will seek to transfer our stolen assets into their names”.
Tony Aidoo has however defended himself, claiming that he grabbed the car which did not have a gear box after it had been abandoned by the Kufuor government.
At a press conference in Accra yesterday, Deputy Communications Director of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) Sammy Awuku, who spoke on the ‘The People Must Know’ platform, provided evidence to support his claim.
These included an official receipt issued by a company (Shargraw Ventures) contracted by the state to auction the vehicle and a letter dated June 1, 2012 which was written and signed by Dr. Tony Aidoo to the Director of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) requesting a change of the vehicle’s registration number to a private one.
A similar acquisition of a state-of-the-art BMW in the year 1999/2000 by Dr. Aidoo triggered a debate over the paltry GH¢200 he paid for it.
Sammy Awuku and his colleagues found it intriguing that Dr. Tony Aidoo, who is often critical of his opponents, would purchase a state car at such a ridiculously low price.
He also cited how vociferous Dr Aidoo was in the year 2009 when appointees of the former NPP administration were said to have purchased their official saloon cars when they were leaving office.
Although the purchase was legitimate within the confines of age-old regulations, Sammy Awuku indicated that “Tony Aidoo was loudest in branding appointees of the NPP as nation wreckers.”
He also noted, “The age-old policy prohibits purchasing 4×4 vehicles.”
Surprised as he was, the NPP kingpin stated, “If a Ford Expedition vehicle with impeccable servicing history and part of President Kufour’s fleet of cars as a President could be sold for a paltry sum of GH¢ 6,200, then only God knows how much they have sold other state assets to themselves for.”
Sammy Awuku could not trust President Mahama’s ability to reprimand Dr Aidoo since “for a vice president whose boss (President Mills) constituted a committee to investigate his (President Mahama’s) involvement in inflating the prices of airplanes for the Ghana Armed Forces, we wonder if President Mahama has the moral high ground to do so.”
In an interview with DAILY GUIDE, Dr Aidoo said, “When you abandon a vehicle for about six years, standing at a private workshop and the vehicle is unserviceable and the vehicle is being sold to members of the public, a boarded vehicle, how many 4x4s do government departments auction?
“This is not a matter of my duty car being sold to me and then you will say it’s a 4×4 so you are not supposed to; people should get their facts right.”
On the issue about the cheap price at which he bought the vehicle, he said, “Well, if it’s peanut, you go and tell the auctioneer, when you have a car without a gear box”, insisting, “I didn’t do the valuation.”
He asked rhetorically, “When you have a car without a functional air condition unit, how much would you sell it, aside body works?
“It was even he (the auctioneer) who got me a mechanic; I had to import the gear box part from the United States of America for which there is also documentary evidence.”