Lack of Defence Minister a ‘systemic leadership failure’ – Ntim Fordjour slams gov’t
The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, Reverend John Ntim Fordjour, has criticized President Mahama for failing to appoint a substantive Defence Minister seven months after the August 6 Helicopter crash claimed the lives of Dr. Omane Boamah and 7 other individuals.
Describing the situation as a “systemic leadership failure,” Ntim Fordjour argued that President Mahama’s “inaction” has left Ghana exposed on the national security front.
Speaking during the parliamentary debates on the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Wednesday, the Ranking Member asserted that the government’s failure to appoint a Defence Minister has left Ghanaians feeling unsafe and has significantly affected Ghana’s territorial integrity.
“No serious country will go without a substantive Defence Minister for seven months, amid all the threats in our geopolitics,” he declared.
The Assin South MP pointed to a recent pirate attack reported in Ghanaian territorial waters as evidence of the security vacuum created by the absence of a substantive Defence Minister.
On February 27, the Ghana Armed Forces launched a search-and-rescue operation for a group of 71 fishermen who were attacked by armed pirates, stripping them of their outboard motors and leaving them drifting in the Gulf of Guinea.
“Our fisher folks no longer feel safe because of a systemic leadership failure in the defence sector by the failure of the President in appointing a substantive minister for defence for seven months now,” Rev. Ntim Fordjour added.
His remarks follow several concerns raised in recent weeks. Security analysts and civil society groups have urged President Mahama to fill the post without further delay, with security analyst Samuel Owusu Appiah explaining that the move is “long overdue.”
Meanwhile, the Minister in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu earlier revealed that President Mahama will appoint both Ministers for Defence and Environment “at the appropriate time.”
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