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Tag: Dr. Adam Bonaa

  • The headquarters for corruption in Ghana is EOCO – Adam Bonaa

    The headquarters for corruption in Ghana is EOCO – Adam Bonaa

    Security and safety analyst Dr. Adam Bonaa has leveled accusations of dishonesty and corruption against the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO).

    Speaking on the standoff between EOCO and the Office of the Special Prosecutor regarding investigations into former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources Cecilia Dapaah, Dr. Bonaa openly questioned the integrity of EOCO’s operations.

    “Hello, I am Adam Bonaa, a citizen of this country and not a spectator, as the president enjoined us to be some time ago. I am using this media to invite Parliament and, by extension, the Right Honourable Speaker of Parliament, to institute a probe into the Cecilia Dapaah cash saga.

    “I have a feeling EOCO is not telling us the truth, and I can say with certainty that EOCO has now become the headquarters of corruption. There is a need to investigate what happened between these two institutions under the executive.

    “These two institutions, EOCO and the Special Prosecutor, are both under the Attorney General’s office, and so to have EOCO handed over the file to investigate a money laundering issue, which comes under them, and to have EOCO come back and later tell us that they couldn’t do anything about it, if you ask me, it is mind-boggling. As a citizen and not a spectator, I would ask the Right Honourable Speaker and, by extension, Parliament, to institute a probe. That is the only way we would know,” he stated.

    Dr. Bonaa, hinting at potential undisclosed activities within EOCO, made a direct plea to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, not only to launch an investigation but also to broaden its scope, potentially encouraging more Ghanaians to come forward with information.

    In a direct accusation, Dr. Bonaa singled out the Executive Director of EOCO, COP Maame Tiwaa, for lacking transparency with the Ghanaian populace, demanding full disclosure of the case involving the money discovered at Madam Dapaah’s residence and its link to the Special Prosecutor.

    “There are a lot of things that are going on in EOCO that some of us find very unfortunate, and probably if these things begin to unfold, maybe if the speaker is minded to give an extended terms of reference, which is not to say that I know what is going to happen, but if the speaker would do this, I believe that we are going to have Ghanaians come out and tell the committee, if there is to be a bipartisan probe, what they know,” he added.

    Previously, the Office of the Special Prosecutor had probed Cecilia Dapaah for corruption and related offenses after her domestic staff were accused of stealing significant sums of money and valuables from her residence.

    Despite an extensive investigation, the Office of the Special Prosecutor discontinued the case and transferred the docket to EOCO, which, following advice from the Attorney General’s office, opted to return the file to the Office of the Special Prosecutor.

  • ‘Disregard bitter’ Prof Adei, his morals cannot be trusted – Dr Adam Bona

    ‘Disregard bitter’ Prof Adei, his morals cannot be trusted – Dr Adam Bona

    Former Vice Chairman of the Ghana Chamber of Construction Industry, Dr. Adam Bonaa,has refuted a statement made by Prof. Stephen Adei, the former Chairperson of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC). Prof. Adei alleged that government officials demand one million cedis before awarding road contracts.

    Dr. Bonaa countered this claim by pointing out that although there may be elements of corruption within the road construction industry, contractors have not received payment for work performed dating as far back as 2018, a period during which Prof. Adei served as the Board Chairman of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).

    Dr. Bonaa expressed his bewilderment at Prof. Adei’s decision to raise such allegations now, given that he did not do so during his tenure as a government appointee.

    “People who all of a sudden wants us to think they are a voice of conscience when they talk, we should ask them to bring proof because as far as I am concerned the same contractors, he is saying are paying money to be given contracts have not been paid.

    “So if contractors have worked and they are not paid, on what grounds will the same contractor come to you to pay you for you to give him a contract to do because they are not getting paid. You can ask any contractor in this country,” he stated in an interview with GhanaWeb.

    Describing the comment by Prof Adei as coming from a bitter place, Dr Bonaa noted that a person of his standing cannot be regarded as a voice of conscience.

    “I feel he is bitter because he was sacked as chairman of GRA Board. He is bitter and therefore he is finding excuses and sounding as if he is a voice of conscience. For me, he should be disregarded, the public should disregard him because when he was chairman what was he able to do before he was sacked? Did he improve upon collection? We need to know.

    “Did we not hear about some members of Council of State who had brought in things and were not paying? Was he not there? This lady who was a member of the Council of State, Labianca, was he not there? And so as far as I am concerned, I think he is bitter. I think he should be disregarded.

    “Prof. Adei is bitter because as far as I am concerned contractors in Ghana are burdened with the inability of the Finance Ministry to pay them after working,” he stated.

    In a recent interview with TV3, Prof. Adei criticized the government led by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, among other issues, alleging that government officials were involved in corrupt practices related to the awarding of contracts, particularly in the field of road construction.

    He went on to express his belief that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo should feel a sense of shame if he is aware of such questionable dealings taking place within his administration.

    Meanwhile, the Ministry of Roads and Highways has taken the step of referring Prof. Adei’s allegations to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) for a thorough investigation.

    The ministry, while maintaining its commitment to ensuring transparency in the contract award process, deems these allegations to be of a significant and serious nature, thus warranting a comprehensive inquiry.

  • Dr. Adam Bonaa describes “The Vigilantism and Offences Act, 2019,” a pure lip-service

    Dr. Adam Bonaa describes “The Vigilantism and Offences Act, 2019,” a pure lip-service

    A recognized security expert, Dr. Adam Bonaa, has expressed his view on the Vigilantism and Offences Act of 2019, characterizing it as a mere symbolic document that has not yielded any discernible or practical outcomes so far.

    According to Dr. Bonaa, despite the implementation of the Act, there hasn’t been a single instance of prosecution under its provisions.

    This lack of enforcement, in his opinion, underscores the fact that the Act has not fulfilled its intended purpose.

    During an interview with the media, Dr. Adam Bonaa stated that he is unsurprised by this outcome, given the circumstances that led to the creation of the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act.

    He cited his own involvement as a board member of the Small Arms Commission, providing him with insights into matters related to vigilantism and related offenses.

    Dr. Bonaa commented on the genesis of the Vigilantism Act, recalling how it was hastily introduced by the president, who issued a two-week ultimatum for the development of the Act, threatening to involve parliament otherwise.

    Highlighting the lack of successful prosecutions under this law, Dr. Bonaa questioned the effectiveness of the legislation.

    He pointed out that gun ownership is not a trivial matter, as it involves significant costs. Those who possess firearms typically fall into certain categories, and in his opinion, these individuals should have a greater understanding of the law and its implications.

    The conversation on the Legal Agenda, which included Richard Sena Hotor, a legal practitioner, alongside the host, delved into an in-depth discussion about the law and its efficacy in achieving substantial outcomes.

  • The Military must be excluded from primary security unit for 2024 elections – Security analyst

    The Military must be excluded from primary security unit for 2024 elections – Security analyst

    The military shouldn’t be a part of the primary security taskforce for the 2024 general elections, according to security analyst Dr. Adam Bonaa.

    He said they should just be on standby for support if need be.

    “They should not be part of the core tasksforce for the elections, they should be on standby,” he said on the Big Issue on TV3 Tuesday April 18.

    Dr Bonaa was commenting on the meeting that the Police held with the leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) on Monday.

    The meeting which was called at the instance of the Inspector-General of Police was necessitated by press statements issued by the parties and subsequently followed by petitions to the Police Service with each party calling on the Police to arrest certain individuals of the other side for some alleged offences.

    At the meeting, both parties were given the opportunity to air their grievances.

    The main issue raised by them was in respect to comments by some political actors from both sides of the divide considered to be inflammatory.

    The Police told the leadership of NDC and the NPP not to interfere with their job.

    The Police said in a statement after a meeting with the leadership of the two parties that they “should do their politics and allow the Police to do policing. We therefore called on them to support us including by criticising us constructively to do a professional job in line with our constitutional mandate.

    As we commend the leadership of the two political parties for availing themselves and contributing to the success of the meeting, we would like to call on Ghanaians to help us in our effort to build an independent Police service which will serve the greater good of the Ghanaian people and not the interest of any individual or group of people.

    “Once again, we wish to assure the public that we remain committed to ensuring peace, security, law and order in the country at all times including before, during and after all elections in the country,” the statement said.

  • Implement good policies” and “avoid turning agriculture ministry into a farm gate” – Dr. Bonaa

    Implement good policies” and “avoid turning agriculture ministry into a farm gate” – Dr. Bonaa

    Dr. Adam Bonaa, a security and safety expert, has outlined his expectations for Bryan Acheampong, the incoming minister of agriculture.

    According to Dr. Bonaa, he anticipates that the Abetifi Member of Parliament would use his experience in security to address the ministry’s numerous issues and finally guarantee the nation’s food security.

    “I am not anticipating the minister-designate for agriculture to go and also transform the agricultural ministry into a farm gate; my expectations are that he will address the wrongs at the agricultural ministry.

    “I am expecting him to come up with policies, I am expecting him to ensure that the smuggling of cocoa beans will be stopped and that using his security knowledge, he will be able to stop the flow of stolen fertilisers that we use taxpayers money to import.

    “I am expecting him to ensure that those who are benefiting largely from the smuggling of fertilisers, he will stop it, get them arrested and prosecuted. And also ensure that he comes up with good policies that will help the ordinary farmer,” Dr Bonaa told GhanaWeb in an interview.

    Mr Acheampong has been named by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as the replacement for Dr Afriyie Akoto who recently resigned from his post to contest in the upcoming flagbearership race of the New Patriotic Party.

    The outgoing minister during his tenure spearheaded some of the government’s flagship policies including the Planting for Food and Jobs policy.

    On the back of the recent rise in food prices, the ministry under Dr Akoto’s leadership introduced an open market at the ministry dubbed the Planting for Food and Jobs Market.

    Critics of the outgone minister say he failed in his duty although Mr Akoto vehemently argued otherwise.

    Describing the current state of the agric ministry as petty, Dr Bonaa further challenged the incoming minister to redeem the image of the agric sector in Ghana by turning things around.

    “At the moment it looks so petty, the agric ministry has suffered. You know how much food crops cost today in this country. I do believe that he should also take what we have done in the past. Some of the best persons who helped this country in terms of agric; animal husbandry and the rest actually had security background. Look at the famous operation feed yourself, was it not led by Acheampong?

    “When you take Major Courage Quoshigah when he was the agric minister we all saw what happened to the agric ministry in this country. So I am expecting Bryan Acheampong to use the skills and expertise he has gained over the years at the back of security and as other security persons have done, to raise the bar a lot higher,” he stated.

    He also urged the incoming minister to solve the ever-present conflict between farmers and nomadic herdsmen using his background in security.

    Currently a member of parliament, Bryan Acheampong is a former Minister of State at the Ministry of the Interior and the former Minister of State at the Ministry of National Security.

    With a history as a retired soldier of the US Air Force, Bryan Acheampong’s experience spans Security, Intelligence, Politics, and Business Leadership.

    His expertise includes Anti-Terrorism, Force Protection, Laws of Armed Conflict, Conventional Defence Training, Weapons, Small Arms, and Fuels. His experience spans Security, Intelligence, Politics, and Business Leadership.