Gitmo 2 not priority for Ghanaians – Nunoo-Mensah

Former National Security Advisor Brigadier General Joseph Nunoo-Mensah (rtd) has said government’s announcement that it will take another look at the resettlement of two Guantanamo Bay ex-detainees in the country is of little significance to the ordinary Ghanaian.

According to him, Ghanaians voted for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to transform their lives and rescue them from hardship, which should be at the forefront of government’s agenda, rather than the desire to review the presence of the two former detainees of Guantanamo Bay.

It is recalled the NPP during its campaign was strongly opposed to the presence of the Gitmo Two in the country. But taking his turn at the vetting of ministerial nominees on Friday January 20, Defence Minister-designate Dominic Nitiwul said government would consider some factors before making a definite decision on the two.

“If you have a very peaceful country, what many people would not want to do is to invite trouble to themselves and that’s why I think that at the time His Excellency the President Nana Addo Akufo Addo made that statement, he made it in the light that there was no need to invite trouble for us to put ourselves on the terrorist map in that particular period when Ghana didn’t need to do that.

“We have done one year now, intelligence will change, the situation will change. As we sit today, the government at that time analysed intelligence and took a decision. It is the same way this government is going to analyse all the intelligence related to this particular people and take a decision. As I sit now, intelligence will lead us as to the best way the government will take the decision regarding this particular thing.”

He was responding to a question by Tamale North MP Alhassan Suhuyini whether he (Nitiwul) would advise the president to send back the two detainees.

Contributing to the discussion on the Executive Breakfast Show (EBS) on Class 91.3 FM on Monday January 23, Mr Nunoo-Mensah said: “Ghanaians didn’t elect the NPP to power to go after the Gitmo Two. The Gitmo Two is not the most important thing to Ghanaians… Give them Gitmo Two, other issues like their accommodation, food, and their environment, and Gitmo Two will go bottom of the list.

“We should concern ourselves with issues that affect Ghanaians, they are going through hell. I know because I go down to Makola, to Kantamanto and I see it for myself, so we should get busy with fixing the needs of Ghanaians. What do Ghanaians care about Gitmo Two?

Young people are roaming the streets selling dog chains, rains are coming and we have to import food from Burkina Faso, Mali, and all the other places and we can’t grow to feed ourselves and we are going after Gitmo Two? They can go after them but it’s not the most important thing Ghanaians need to know. …That is not why Ghanaians voted for them to come to power.”