Brigadier General [Rtd] Joseph Nunoo-Mensah, a former Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, has spoken about how he was prevented from seeing President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to discuss issues relating to the economy.

According to him, he approached his good friend Kwame Pianim, who then called one Gabby and told him that the former CDS would like to have a word with the president.

He said, that Gabby on the phone told him that the president was attending a UN Assembly in New York and when he comes, he will facilitate a meeting with the president.

Brigadier Nunoo-Mensah told Adakabri Frimpong Manso on Neat FM that, one week later, he [Pianim] called to ask if he had been called to meet the president but he answered in the negative, which situation angered.

He narrated: "I have been a soldier all my life. So, if I am the one experiencing these challenges on the battlefield, I would move to the front to observe exactly what is happening and address the soldiers and tell them that that is not how to position yourself on the battlefield…

"I know President Akufo-Addo more than any other politician, I was his campaign manager in 1998. You said you won't call me so I decided to reach out to him myself but he says he doesn't have the time, what should I do again?

"In September last year, I went to his office with one of the retired soldiers – a former CDS, he is almost 90 years old – with our experience we said where the country is heading, we are going to hit some rough patches because as an elder, sometimes you see things that ordinary minds don’t see; you see things with experience instead of the eyes, for experience is the best teacher. . . I went with a friend and approached Kwame Pianim – who is a good friend – I told him that I want to go and see the president and he called one Gabby and told him that I want to see the president but he said he [president] is in New York [for UN General Assembly] so, when he comes, he will call me to go and meet him. One week later, he [Mpiani] asked if I have been called and I said nobody has called me, and then he got angry."

Brigadier Nunoo-Mensah continued: "Later Kan Dapaah called me and said ‘General, the president said, I, the Security Advisor, and the National Security Coordinator should come and meet you’. I told him that ‘Kan, I am not the only one that wants to meet the president, there is this elder friend of mine who also wants to see the president so, let me go and talk to him and I will get back to you’.

"The former CDS when I discussed with him said, ‘General, forget about them. . .We saw this thing coming . . . and up till now, we did not get access to the president to talk to him. I was really sad because we were not going to beg the president for anything . . .

“I was going to tell the president that look I’m not an economist but we are too dependent on the dollar to buy virtually everything; we’ve spoilt the cedi so, at least let us mitigate the situation by doing things to help ourselves... let’s mobilise the nation and feed ourselves and reduce the pressure on the cedi. . . I was going to offer myself without pay. . .”



PEN/SARA

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