Prez. Akufo-Addo to break silence on contentious US military deal today

• Posted on April 5, 2018
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

President Akufo-Addo will today Thursday (5th April, 2018) speak to the controversial military cooperation pact the government has agreed with the US government.

Information Minister Mustapha Abdul-Hamid on Asempa FM Wednesday, dropped the hint of the President’s readiness to break his silence on the issue which last week drove thousands onto the streets in protest.

The protestors had argued among others that the deal was inimical to the interests of Ghana as it amounted to, among other issues, granting access for the US to set up a military base in Ghana, a move they said would make the country a target of anti-US terrorists.

Government spokespersons, including Defence Minister Dominic Nitiwul have vehemently denied any permission for the US to set up a military base in Ghana, but the demonstrators maintained the deal, already approved by parliament, amounts to no deal at all as it has nothing beneficial to Ghana.

The Information Minister has already indicated that the demonstration last week won’t change anything in the pact as it was wrongly predicated on the suspicion that there was a ‘military base’ in the deal when there was no such thing.

Asked what would likely constitute the President’s point of view, Mustapha Abdul-Hamid said Nana Addo would assure the nation that nothing untoward had been visited upon the nation and that no deal has been agreed to set up a US military deal in Ghana.

“Insha Allah!” he affirmed repeatedly, that the President would speak to the issue, “before the week is over, hopefully tomorrow”, he assured his host.

The President has been silent on the agreement since aspects of it leaked into the media ahead of its speedy passage on March 23 by Parliament, leading to calls for him to clear the air on lingering questions.

The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa for instance in recent open letter  questioned the President’s “unusual silence” on the matter and said the “decision to strangely adopt a silent posture on the outside while there was a lot of activity behind the scenes to hurriedly negotiate and ratify this agreement by abusing your parliamentary majority without taking on board the concerns of the people who gave you your mandate is most deplorable.”

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