A founding member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Nyaho-Tamakloe, has questioned the security arrangements during President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s final State of the Nation Address (SONA).
Dr. Nyaho-Tamakloe during an interview with Keminni Amanor, on TV3 which was keenly monitored by Elvisanokyenews.com criticized the preparedness and responsiveness of the security apparatus in the SONA in regards to the collapsing of Colonel Isaac Amponsah, the Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to the President.
The Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to President Akufo-Addo, Colonel Isaac Amponsah who stood right behind the president during the delivery of the State of the Nation Address collapsed unexpectedly midway through the address on last Friday, January 3, 2025
Reacting to the incident, Dr. Nyaho-Tamakloe, said the security team during the SONA failed to recognize the visible signs of distress Colonel Amponsah displayed before his collapse. According to him, the Colonel was fidgeting and with proper vigilance and a proactive approach, the situation could have been prevented.
He further questioned the President’s decision to select a Colonel as his Aide-de-Camp, suggesting that a younger officer, such as a Captain, might have been better suited for the role, given the physical demands of standing for extended periods. However, he didn’t rule out the fact that the collapse could also have been caused by an underlying medical condition.
“If you watch carefully, the man started fidgeting for some time. I was watching, even the papers he was holding nearly fell out of his hand so immediately if there were experts there, they would have realized that he has a problem and they would have gone quietly to get him out and bring a replacement.
“Point number two an ADC who is a full Colonel is too big to be an ADC. When Nkrumah was Prime Minister or the president of this country, his ADC was late Lieutenant General S.K. who was then a captain. The captain is a young strong man , who can stand for hours without getting tired.
“You don’t bring a whole Colonel with medals to come and guard or be an ADC to a president. You don’t do that. When Akufo was a head of state, his ADC was a captain. What has changed? He questioned
Dr. Nyaho-Tamakloe continued, “I can remember, unless my memory serves me wrong, I can remember that we have even had in his era a Brigadier General being an ADC. It never happened.
“How on earth do you bring a Brigadier General to be an ADC to a President? It’s never done so the man himself standing there is too old for a long standing.
“Maybe it might be medical conditions which I suspect that is really the case because if you watch he went down slowly he could no more stand on his feet.”
Source: Elvisanokyenews.com
