When “substantive ” become a security strategy — Rev Ntim Fordjour’s nameplate doctrine

Member of Parliament for Assin South Rev John Ntim Fordjour , speaking on Tv3 Ghana on February 17, argued that the absence of a substantive Defence Minister is “problematic” and forms the basis for the Burkina Faso attack on Ghanaian tomato traders.

It is a striking theory.

According to this line of reasoning, the governance of a ministry grinds to a halt the moment the adjective “substantive” goes missing from a title.

National security, it would seem, hinges not on command structures, operational readiness, intelligence capacity or constitutional authority but on typography.

Never mind that there is an active Deputy Minister in office in the person of Brogya Genfi

Never mind that the Ghana Armed Forces have not suspended operations, grounded aircraft, or vacated their posts pending the arrival of a new letterhead.

Never mind that the President, John Dramani Mahama remains constitutionally Commander-in-Chief.

By this logic, a missing ceremonial designation equals institutional paralysis.

One is tempted to imagine the barracks staging a protest: “No substantive minister? We refuse to defend!”

Let us be serious.

Governance is sustained by systems, not stationery. Defence ministries do not function as personality cults revolving around a single embossed business card. They operate through permanent secretaries, military hierarchies, procurement boards, intelligence architecture and Cabinet oversight.

The chain of command does not dissolve because a portfolio has yet to be permanently assigned.

If administrative breakdown were truly the issue, we would be presented with evidence stalled procurement, compromised operations, unpaid troops, a fractured command structure. Instead, the public is offered a dramatic headline: “problematic.”

The leap from a pending appointment to cross-border aggression is not analysis; it is performance. It converts a complex regional security matter into a branding exercise around job titles.

The security architecture of the Republic is layered, professionalized, and constitutionally anchored. It does not hinge on a nameplate. It is not a group project waiting for one student to arrive with a PowerPoint presentation before activity can begin.

Yes, timelines may be debated. Yes, efficiency may be questioned. But to suggest that Ghana’s national defence posture is suspended because a title has not yet been formalized is to confuse symbolism with substance.

And sometimes, the loudest alarms are not sirens, they are microphones searching for volume.

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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.