A former Chief of the Defence Staff, Brigadier-General (retd) Joseph Nunoo-Mensah, has called for what he described as a moral reset in Ghana.
He cautioned that the weakening discipline, growing materialism and the erosion of communal values were shaping a generation without firm guidance.
He said the country must deliberately return to the principles of honesty, hard work and respect if it was to secure a stable future for its young people.
Memoir
Brigadier-General Nunoo-Mensah made the remarks at the launch of his memoir, My Memoir: I Don’t Follow the Crowd, at Christ the King Catholic Church in Accra last Friday.
“I generally worry about the future,” he told the audience. “What kind of world are you going to leave to our children and grandchildren?”
Reflecting on changes in society, he said the sense of love and humanity that once defined communities appeared to be fading.
Social pressure
Responding to questions from the audience about his concerns for the youth, he said young people faced intense social pressure, including the public display of wealth and the pursuit of quick recognition.
He contrasted that with his upbringing in Winneba, where he undertook menial jobs, including loading cocoa and working as a driver’s mate to fund his education.
“We were taught discipline and truthfulness,” he said. “Those were non-negotiable.”
Biography
A biographical profile presented at the event traced his rise from modest beginnings to the pinnacle of the Ghana Armed Forces. After enlisting in 1960, he was selected for officer training at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, in the United Kingdom, where he emerged as the best overseas cadet and won the academic sword.
He later became the Chief of Defence Staff in 1979 under the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council and was reappointed in 1982 under the Provisional National Defence Council, becoming the first Ghanaian officer to hold the position on two separate occasions.
In November 1982, he resigned on principle, maintaining that soldiers should not remain entrenched in political governance.
Brig. Gen. Nunoo-Mensah subsequently served as National Security Advisor under President John Evans Atta Mills and continued under President John Dramani Mahama until 2013.
Rare breed
He recounted how Brigadier General Nunoo-Mensah stood with him publicly at a defining moment in his political journey, saying the gesture carried moral weight.
The chairman for the occasion, Colonel Benjamin Ahlijah (rtd), described the memoir as an important national document that went beyond personal recollection to offer insight into critical moments in Ghana’s military and political history.
He urged public institutions, libraries and the academic community to support the documentation of Ghana’s history through personal memoirs, noting that when those who witnessed pivotal events fail to write, future generations are left with incomplete accounts.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh
