Nunoo-Mensah gives Akufo-Addo thumbs up for national security appointments

A former National Security Coordinator and Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Brigadier General Joseph Nunoo-Mensah has congratulated President-elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for making good choices as appointees to lead the national security outfit.

In a radio interview on Citi FM in response to the announcement of the appointments on Wednesday, Brig Gen Nunoo-Mensah said he has faith in Nana Addo, that he would deliver.

“Nana Addo, the in-coming President, I know him very well, I know he will make a very impressive leader….they will do their job very well.”

“I don’t have anything against those appointments. The background is very impressive. Everyone of them. We have many people in Ghana who have very impressive backgrounds, so I don’t really have anything against those choices, I know they will do very well and I wish them well,” the NDC member and elder statesman said.

National Security Minister 

On the re-introduction of the Minister for National Security, Brig Gen Nunoo-Mensah who was also one time a National Security Advisor and served as Head of Human Security under President John Mahama said, “I know Mr Kan Dapaah very well and he is a very capable person.”

“We have very capable people in Ghana today and why the nation isn’t moving forward, I’m worried myself why we are not making any headway.”

To him, it was not only on the President and his team that Ghana would have to rest, but all Ghanaians would have to contribute to move the country forward.

“If you have a very impressive team, an impressive manager in a football match, and a player don’t play well, what do you do? You can’t win the match for them, so we all have to play our roles effectively, every one of us. Those in NPP, those of us not there, all of us have to put ourselves to the wheel and move Ghana forward, because Ghana has many problems that have to be tackled and all of us have to be on board to tackle them,” he said.

Appointments

The President-elect, Nana Addo on Wednesday announced Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah as Minister designate for the National Security Ministry.

Other appointees announced were also Brigadier General Emmanuel Okyere, as National Security Advisor and Mr Joshua Kyeremeh as National Security Co-Ordinator.

Brigadier General Okyere is a military engineer and holds an Executive Master’s Degree in Governance and Leadership from GIMPA. He is also a graduate of the Ghana Military Academy and has a solid military background, having done almost 40 years of distinguished service with the colours.

He served in various capacities in both the military and local government. He served as the Metropolitan Chief Executive of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly from 1995 to 1996; and from 2006 to 2010, he was the General Officer Commanding the Southern Command

Mr Joshua Kyeremeh on his part is a product of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, and a former Director of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI). He worked at the BNI for about 22 years, where he served at command levels in the Northern, Upper East, Ashanti and Greater Accra Regions. He also served as head of the Investigations Unit of the Bureau.

He rose to become the Deputy Director BNI and ultimately, the Director BNI from 2005 to 2009.

Writer's email: enoch.frimpong@graphic.com.gh

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