Business magnate and former AngloGold Ashanti Chairman, Sir Sam Jonah, has appealed to President John Mahama and the Ghana Armed Forces to restore the military rank of former Head of State, General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, arguing that his execution in 1979 without trial should not permanently erase his military identity and years of service.
Speaking at the second edition of the General Kutu Acheampong Public Lecture Series, Sir Sam Jonah recalled that the former military ruler was stripped of his rank by decree before being executed by firing squad on June 16, 1979, without having been convicted by any court.
He stressed that restoring Acheampong’s rank should not be construed as an endorsement of his administration or an attempt to dismiss the suffering of Ghanaians under his rule. Rather, he said, the appeal was grounded in the principles of due process and the need to address what he described as a lingering historical injustice.
“Due process is not a reward for the virtuous. It is a protection for all of us, and above all, for those who we have decided we even dislike,” he stated.
Sir Sam Jonah further observed that other former military leaders executed during the same period have retained their military titles in historical records, while Acheampong continues to be referred to as Mr Acheampong.
Describing the situation as an unhealed national wound, he urged the President, the Armed Forces Council and Parliament, where necessary, to take appropriate steps to restore the former Head of State’s military identity.
Among his proposals are the restoration of Acheampong’s rank of General, the reinstatement of his name on the rolls of the Ghana Military Academy and the return to his family of honours associated with his military rank.
He also referenced a 2019 acknowledgement by the Ghana Armed Forces that the executions carried out in 1979 were an aberration, arguing that the decision to strip Acheampong of his rank should similarly be reconsidered.
Beyond the circumstances surrounding his death, Sir Sam Jonah called on Ghanaians to recognise some of the initiatives introduced during Acheampong’s administration. These included Operation Feed Yourself, which sought to promote domestic food production and agricultural self-sufficiency.
He also highlighted policies aimed at increasing Ghanaian participation in the mining industry, as well as the decision by Acheampong’s government to facilitate the return of Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, from exile for burial in Ghana in 1972.
For Sir Sam Jonah, restoring Acheampong’s military rank would not amount to rewriting the country’s history but rather completing it by acknowledging all aspects of the nation’s past.
“As Ghana approaches 70 years of independence, I can’t think of no better proof that this republic is confident enough to tell its true whole story. Restoring a rank does not rewrite history. It completes it,” he said.
