Three critical key players of the Command structure of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) – Rear Admiral (R/Adm) Seth Amoama, Chief of Air Staff (CAS) – Air Vice Marshall (V/Adm) Frank Hanson and the Chief of Staff (COS) at the General Headquarters (GHQ) – Major General Thomas Oppong-Peprah, have been inducted into office at a Religious Parade.
The three Commanders were a pointed by the Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of GAF, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo into their respective offices on the 8th of January 2019, and accordingly, their handing/taking over processes have taken place.
The colourful Religious Induction Service was organized by the military high command on Sunday the 17th of February 2019, at the 5th Garrison Methodist Presbyterian Church, at Burma Camp, Accra.
Speaking at a reception after the service, the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) – Lieutenant General (Lt Gen) Obed Boamah Akwa, explained the significance of ceremonies in the Ghanaian military such as the Induction and Religious Parade.
General Akwa said that as the fighting force of the nation, there is the need for GAF to build cohesion, comradeship, loyalty and esprit d’corps of the forces at all levels and times, without leaving anything to chance and such ceremonies are the means by which such targets are attained, so that when they are called upon, they will be able to defend the National territorial integrity by land, sea and air.
The CDS emphasized that much as the loyalty of the commanders to the C-in-C and GAF is never in doubt, pledging loyalty to the state should be constant and regular to those at the top, their peers and also to those under their command.
The CNS – R/Adm Amoama, in a short response on behalf of his other appointed colleagues, thanked the appointing authority – the C-in-C for finding them qualified enough to serve, the CDS, colleague commanders and all officers and men of GAF, for their support so far.
He also expressed gratitude to their predecessors namely, R/Adm Peter Kofi Faidoo (rtd), V/Adm Maxwell Matsebi-Tei Nagai (rtd) and R/Adm Moses Beick-Baffour – now Commandant of Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC) and pledged their loyalty once again to the C-in-C, the military and the State.
Dignitaries present at the event included V/Adm Nagai and Dr. Vladimir Antwi-Danso, Dean at GAFCSC, Teshie.
By Kofi Ampeah-Woode