President Mahama pays glowing tribute to late Lt. Gen. Quainoo
President John Dramani Mahama has paid a glowing tribute to the late former Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Arnold Quainoo.
Speaking at the funeral ceremony of Lt. Gen. Quainoo at the St Catherine Catholic Church at Burma Camp in Accra today (Friday), President Mahama described him as a selfless and principled individual who dedicated his life to the service of the country and the continent.
“He inspired us in the sense of being able to live our lives selflessly as patriots of our country,” President Mahama said.
President Mahama noted that Lt. Gen. Quainoo's generation was marked by a strong sense of nationalism and a commitment to Ghana's development.
He was of the view that this sense of patriotism and selflessness seems to be waning in contemporary Ghanaian society.
“He is the last of a generation that is passing whose major focus was love of country. They didn’t give in to materialism, they were principled and did things based on patriotism. It’s very different from the current generation,” President Mahama said.
President Mahama added that, “People like you joined the army because you loved the profession.”
Ceremony
The ceremony, which included a wreath-laying ceremony was attended by notable figures including the former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, Minority Leader Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, Defence Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, and Senior Presidential Advisor Joyce Bawah Mogtari.
Life
Lt. Gen. Quainoo was born on July 5, 1939, in Kpando, Volta Region, to Mr. Anthony Ignatius Kwasimeku Quainoo and Mrs. Anastasia Afi Ameblefe Quashigah. His father, a school teacher and later Inspector of Roman Catholic Schools in the Volta Region, instilled in him a keen interest in education from a young age.
Lt. Gen. Quainoo attended elementary school in Keta, then proceeded to St. Augustine’s College in Cape Coast, where he began his journey towards a military career.
He joined the Cadet Corps and later attended the Ghana Military Academy in Teshie, before graduating from the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun in December 1962.
Lt. Gen. Quainoo had a distinguished military career, serving as Chief of Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces from August 1983 to September 1989.
He was also the first commander of the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) and played a key role in the Liberian civil war.
