Tema, March 27, GNA – Mr Azanne Kofi Akainyah, Legal Advisor to the British High Commissioner in Accra, has urged people who are capable of writing books to seek the knowledge of the icons who have stories about the past so that they do not die and only be remembered by their names.
Mr Akainyah made this appeal at the launch of the book titled: “Beyond Fear and Power – Pioneer journey from the village to the city and back,” of Osahene Boakye Djan, former Spokesman of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) authored by Mr Korletey Jorbua Obuadey.
He criticized Major Boakye Djan for not writing his life story all these years since he was an excellent writer who apart from his military exploits also worked as a journalist with the Ghanaian Times and the Daily Graphic and had to wait this long before telling his story to be written.
Mr Akainyah said it was typical for many Ghanaians who have lived through historical times in the country and yet die leaving no tracks and traces of who they were and what they went through.
He applauded the author of the book, Mr Obuadey for making it a priority and devoting his time as well as having the patience to get all the pieces of the life history of an honourable man into a book that would serve as a history to the upcoming generations.
In a preface the author, Mr Obuadey recounted that: On June 2, 1979, the military high command of the Ghana Armed Forces picked up intelligence of an impending coup against their regime from the 5th Battalion, the only fighting unit in Accra at the time.
General Odartey Wellington the Army Commander then instructed Battalion Commander Lieutenant Colonel Oteng who showed ‘the order’ and the responsibility in ‘the order’ to stop the coup to Captain Boakye Djan.
Capt. Boakye Djan was then the substantive D Company Commander of the 5th Battalion of Infantry Unit of the Arrakan Barracks, Burma Camp in Accra.
“General Odartey Wellington had stressed in ‘the order’ that it was only Capt. Boakye Djan can be relied on to stop the coup. What the Army Commander and the Military High Command did not know at the time was that the same person was the mastermind plotting it,” the Author recounted.
According to the author “Beyond Fear and Power,” delves into questions about one of Africa’s great military masterminds and why he has survived it all where others had failed and lost their lives in the process.
The 307-page book covered his pre-school days, primary school days, middle school days, secondary school life, and his university days as well as his working with the media.
Other topics captured are his military career days, undercover agent to Nigeria, taking command in an infantry battalion, and the run into June 4th, 1979.
Major Boakye Djan (RTD) in an engagement with the Ghana News Agency said the idea behind the title and the writing of the book was to demystify people’s fear for the military.
“When you talk about soldiers and coups, it brings the fear of the unknown, but we are not like that, the title is therefore to demystify that fear among Ghanaians,” he stated.
According to him, people have misunderstood the actions of the military and therefore called for the training of the youth especially those in second cycle institutions for six months to appreciate and acquire the needed discipline and courage for the betterment of the country.
The book is dedicated to the memory of the five original council members of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC); Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings; Major Mensah-Poku; Major Mensah Gbedemah; Lieutenant Commander H. C. Apaloo and Lieutenant Agyemang Bio who was killed in action during the initial stages of the June 4 uprising.
Source: Ghana News Agency
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