Captain Kwadwo Butah (RTD), last Friday said the Ghana Armed Forces, had a pivotal role to play towards strengthening democracy  within the country.

“As guardians of the constitution, you have to bear in mind that the oath you took when you joined the service, enjoins you to remain loyal to the state,” he said.

Captain Kwadwo Butah (RTD) said this in his address as the guest of honour, at the Graduation Ceremony of 40 army officers from the Ghana Armed Forces Junior Staff Course 58 in Accra.

He said “we must be conscious of the success achieved in the democratic environment over the last eighteen years and also, appreciate the challenges that face us as a nation”.

He said that training the officers had received, taught them “nothing less than absolute loyalty to the civil authority”.

Captain Butah (RTD) said officers should strive to be instruments of change in the building of a modern military force that can manage the challenges of the 21st century.

He urged them to market the Ghana Armed Forces, as dependable institutions of state saying, “your relationship with civilians must reflect a cordial bond and mutual respect. Always remain disciplined and bear in mind that the Armed Forces should never be seen as instruments of terror and anarchy.

Captain Butah (RTD) said the course which the officers have completed,ias one of many to come, and urged them to work hard in order to achieve more, and contribute their quota towards building and improving upon the image of the Ghana Armed Forces.

He said security in modern times is no longer the preserve of the traditional security services, but a collective responsibility that include other stake-holders and organisations.

“There are also emerging threats to the peace and security of our times. Whereas on the one hand, inter-state conflicts have become fewer, on the other, intra-state conflicts have increased,” he said.

Captain Butah (RTD) said there is the need to be mindful of conflicts that are borne of land, chieftaincy, political rivalry amongst others.

He mentioned illegal disposal of toxic substance, kidnapping, armed robbery and piracy as some of the new challenges facing the defense and security sectors  saying, “the successful management of the challenges of the new global environment requires the combined effort of the traditional security and law enforcement agencies, the judiciary, civil society organisations amongst others.

Captain Butah appealed to the Government to continue to invest in the Ghana Armed Forces “and our sister security services”, in order to adequately resource them to meet the challenges that the exploitation of oil will pose to the peace and security of the country.

A number of officers received awards for their good performance during the course.

Major Sebastian Arhin received the award for the overall best student, with Capt Adusei Nkrumah receiving the first prize for the Commandant’s Prize Essay and Capt Sahir Bello receiving the first Prize for the Assistant Commandant’s Prize Essay.

The Junior Staff Course 58, which lasted for about 26 weeks consisted of forty students, with four coming from the Federal Republic of Nigeria, two from the Republic of Togo and two, the Republic of Liberia.

The remaining 32 were Ghanaian officers from the army, navy and the air force.

Source: GNA

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