Newly Appointed Chief of Naval Staff Warns Ciminals on Ghana Waters
Story By: Sheila Satori Mensa
The newly appointed Chief of Naval Staff , Rear Admiral Yakubu has sent a strong warning to criminals that operates on the shores of Ghana waters.
According to him, his administration poised to protect the waters of Ghana as well ensure the shores of our seas are safe from any intended attack or criminal activities.
Reaer Admiral Yakubu gave this strong warning at the handing over ceremony of Rear Admiral Seth Amoama, the out-going Chief of Naval Staff on Friday, February 12, 2021 at the Navy Headquarters, Burma Camp.
Newly Appointed Chief of Naval Staff Warns Ciminals on Ghana Waters
Acknowledging his predecessors, the incoming Chief of Naval Staff , Rear Admiral Yakubu pointed out that, a solid foundation has been laid with their transformational agenda which had seen numerous improvement in infrastructure, particularly; the Naval Training Command.
To ensure continuity of this transformational agenda, he gave the assurance that, his tenure would ensure the long-awaited Offshore Patrol Vessel project and the Offshore Security Vessels for the protection of oil and gas infrastructure at sea come to fruition.
“All my energy would be directed towards these projects and I entreat my staff to double their efforts to support the government to fulfil its intention,” the Chief of Naval Staff said.
The Chief of Naval Staff stressed that the Maritime Authority will ensure that Ghana’s territorial waters are free from all criminal activities to enable seafarers to feel safe to conduct business without fear in order to expand the blue economy.
Newly Appointed Chief of Naval Staff Warns Ciminals on Ghana Waters
“I want to sound a note of caution to the criminals out there on the sea. We have heard you loud and clear, you will hear from us soon. Ghanaian waters will no longer be an easy prey for you, we will hunt you down and destroy you,” he emphasized.
In his farewell speech, the outgoing Chief of Naval Staff Rear Admiral Amoama commended the sailors for their smart turnout and for putting up a wonderful naval display at his farewell parade.
He recounted how he took over the CNS two years ago, revealing that, the overwhelming euphoria that greeted his appointment was an indication of a huge expectation towards his assumption of office.
Speaking further, he admitted that, some of the challenges of the Navy requires time and space since there is no immediate solution to every challenge in this world.
Therefore he expressed the hope of living up to expectations at that time because of his belief in professionalism, loyalty and the commitment of the entire naval fraternity.
“Today, we can look back with pride at what we have achieved together stressing, by dint of hard work and our collective determination, we have been able to complete most of the major projects that I inherited from my predecessor and new ones started with majority of them being completed.”
To him, in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic which affected the objectives and aspirations of the Navy, the Navy was able to deliver on many projects, including the inauguration of the Naval Training Command and other training facilities at Yorve in the South Tongu District in the Volta Region.
In addition, he said there have been a modest effort to address some critical welfare related challenges in the navy.
Those included the inauguration of a 16-unit accommodation for officers at the wardroom in Accra and the Ratings Transit Quarters at the Ghana Navy Supply Depot in Takoradi, as well as an ongoing construction of a 20-unit accommodation block for Ratings at the Sekondi Barracks.
While the navy continued to pursue the government agenda to acquire Offshore Patrol Vessel and Security Patrol Boats to provide continuous security for offshore oil platforms, he said it had also worked hard to maintain the existing fleet.
He expressed gratitude to the sailors and called for their continuous support, adding that “it has just begun so let us continue to paddle together and put our shoulders to the wheel”.
Profile of Outing chief of Naval Staff
Rear Admiral Amoama was enlisted into the GAF in 1981 and had his initial training at the Ghana Military Academy.
He was sent to the Pakistan Naval Academy on August 1, 1982 to continue with his training and was commissioned into the Executive Branch of the Ghana Navy in December 1984.
He won the Sword of Honour on graduation in Pakistan.
Rear Admiral Amoama has held several appointments at various stages of his career in the GAF, both afloat and ashore.
Outgoing Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Amoama
His peacekeeping experience includes serving as the UN Military Observer in Rwanda (1995-1996), the UN Liaison Officer in Lebanon (1997-1998) and the UN Staff Officer in Sierra Leone (2001-2002).
Those included the inauguration of a 16-unit accommodation for officers at the wardroom in Accra and the Ratings Transit Quarters at the Ghana Navy Supply Depot in Takoradi, as well as an ongoing construction of a 20-unit accommodation block for Ratings at the Sekondi Barracks.
While the navy continued to pursue the government agenda to acquire Offshore Patrol Vessel and Security Patrol Boats to provide continuous security for offshore oil platforms, he said it had also worked hard to maintain the existing fleet.
He expressed gratitude to the sailors and called for their continuous support, adding that “it has just begun so let us continue to paddle together and put our shoulders to the wheel”.
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