Military
personnel cry foul over $100 operational deductions
Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh, Ghanadot
Accra, May 21, Ghanadot -
Authentic information reaching The Ghanadot from Kumasi, the
Ashanti Regional capital of Ghana indicates that there seems
to be an uneasy calm within the ranks
of Military personnel at the Takoradi Unit of the 2nd
Battalion Infantry Brigade over what some of them described
as financial exploitation by commanding officers of the
unit.
Personnel of the unit, who embarked on various United Nation
Peacekeeping Operations abroad, are reportedly boiling with
ferocity over the collection of an unsanctioned hundred
dollar ($100) as operational contributions from soldiers
upon their return from peace missions abroad.
Some of the soldiers, who have raised strong eyebrow over
the exploitation at the 2nd Battalion Infantry, accused the
Commanding Officer in charge of the Unit, Lt. Col. Kojo
Dawohoso, as the chief orchestrator of the act, under the
guise of using the monies for the maintenance of the unit’s
facilities, repairing of unit vehicles and for organization
of West African Security Services Activities, commonly known
as (WASSA).
The practice of billing every soldier $100, according to
them, has been going on for the past three to four years and
attempts by personnel to question the usage of the money,
which they alleged have not been used for their intended
purposes, have proven futile.
Some of the soldiers from the 2BN Unit at Takoradi, who
called themselves Concerned Peacekeepers, have disclosed to
Ghanadot under condition of anonymity that anytime personnel
from the unit raised concern about
the money, the rank name and number of that officer
was quickly written down and would
never be promoted or be allowed to embark on any UN Peace
Keeping Operation again.
The practice, according to them, is not limited to the 2BN
Unit and that similar situation is also going in other units
across the country.
A letter, purportedly written by these concerned
peacekeepers to the President of Ghana and copied to the
Defense Minister and the Chief of Defense Staff (CDS), a
copy of which cited here, gives
the breakdown of six months contributions by personnel of
the 2nd Battalion Infantry unit in 20008 as follows:
United Nation Interim Force in Lebanon- 31 persons =$3,100,
MUNUC Congo 30 persons=$3,000, UNMIL Liberia 27
persons=$2,700, UNOCI-Cote D Ivore-30 persons= $3,000 and
VIP Escort Cote D’Ivoire-4 persons=$800,
total of which amounted to $12,600.
In the letter, the Military men demanded to know whether the
Ghana Armed Forces was now being run by individual poor
Ghanaian soldier’s UN peacekeeping allowances and whether
the Ministry of Defense has stopped giving impress to run
the various units across the country.
The enraged soldiers are therefore appealing to the
President, the Defense Minister and Chief of Defense Staff
to call Lt. Col Kojo Dawohoso to order and to make him
account for the huge sums of money collected from the poor
UN Peacekeepers.
They contend that they have been compelled to come public
because the issue has become a source of worry to many of
them and the earlier something was done to stop the
practice, the better it would be for the image of the
Military.
Meanwhile, an attempt to get the Commanding Officer of the
2BN to react to the allegations proved impossible as this
reporter was told he had traveled but his Second-in-Command,
Major Narh, who volunteered to respond to the issue,
expressed shock at the behavior of his colleague military
men for choosing to go public with the issue.
According to him, the decision to collect the amount from
each personnel was not a unilateral one, saying it was
something that was agreed by all the personnel of the unit,
in order to complement the efforts of the government in
running the unit.
He stated that the unit was engaged in a number of
profitable ventures such as farming and water projects and
said the amount realized from the collection is used for the
purchase of equipment to facilitate the operations of the
unit.
He denied the allegations that the commanding officer had
pocketed the money and said Lt Col. Dawohoso took office few
months ago and could not have collected the amount.
“As I am talking to you now, the unit has purchased a farm
truck valued at GH¢120,000 to support the farm,
additionally, a DSTV Satellite Dish and other social
amenities have been provided through this money just to keep
the unit running,” he added.
Asked if the imprest given by the Ministry of Defense for
the running of the units was inadequate to merit
contributions by personnel, Major Narh said he would not be
in the position to answer the question, but said the
collection of the money was borne out of goodwill but not an
intention to siphon money from men of the unit.
Ghanadot
