Sam Jonah calls on Mahama to restore Gen Acheampong’s military rank, says Ghana must correct injustice of 1979 execution

Business magnate and former AngloGold Ashanti Chairman, Sir Sam Jonah, has called on 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 said the former military ruler was stripped of his rank by decree before being executed by firing squad on June 16, 1979, without being convicted by any court.

He argued that restoring Acheampong’s rank should not be interpreted as an endorsement of his administration or an attempt to erase the suffering of people who experienced his rule.

Rather, he said, the appeal was rooted in the principles of due process and the need to correct what he considers an enduring 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 noted that other former military leaders who were executed during the same period have retained their military titles in historical records, while Acheampong continues to be referred to as Mr Acheampong.

He described the situation as an unhealed national wound and urged the President, the Armed Forces Council and Parliament, where applicable, to take steps to restore the former Head of State’s military identity.

His proposals include restoring Acheampong’s rank of General, reinstating his name on the rolls of the Ghana Military Academy and returning to his family the honours associated with his rank.

Sir Sam Jonah 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 military rank should equally be reconsidered.

Beyond the circumstances of his death, he urged Ghanaians to acknowledge some of the initiatives associated with Acheampong’s administration, including Operation Feed Yourself, which promoted domestic food production and agricultural self-sufficiency.

He also highlighted policies relating to Ghanaian participation in the mining industry and 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 rank would not amount to rewriting Ghana’s history but completing it.

“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.