The Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Sulemana Braimah has commended the leadership of the Ghana Police Service for its exemplary approach to maintaining order during the recent protests.
The renowned media advocate, began his statement by acknowledging the legitimate grievances of Ghanaians, calling for accountability and denouncing the leadership that has led to a sense of “hardship and hopelessness.”
He urged Ghanaians to continue expressing their frustrations but emphasized the need to do so through constitutionally sanctioned channels, warning against allowing anger to devolve into lawlessness.
“This is the only country we have. So all efforts must be made to protect it from eventual destruction,” Mr Braimah wrote, in a patriotic call for order amid chaos.
While pointing out the leadership vacuum that many believe has resulted in these tough times, Mr Braimah lauded the Ghana Police Service under the current Inspector General of Police, Dr George Akuffo Dampare, as a beacon of hope.
He contrasted the present-day police force with the one most Ghanaians have known in the past—a force that often responded to demonstrations with what it described as “minimum force,” which was anything but minimal in its impact.
The old Ghana Police, according to Mr Braimah was notorious for its heavy-handed approach, adding that demonstrators in the past were routinely met with tear gas, water cannons, and, in extreme cases, live bullets, resulting in bleeding faces, broken limbs, and permanent injuries like lost eyes.
These tactics, Mr Braimah argued, were often defended as necessary to maintain order but left a legacy of fear and resentment towards the police.
Good Leadership Changing Past Narratives
However, the Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa, Sulemana Braimah noted that the tide had turned under Dr Dampare’s leadership, asserting that the police force, while still enforcing law and order, now does so with a level of civility and decorum that was previously unimaginable.
He opined that now demonstrators are met with restraint rather than aggression, and the emphasis has shifted towards protecting both the public’s right to protest and the need to maintain peace.
“What we now see is a very civil, decorous police, that is gentle yet forceful enough to ensure the enforcement of law and order,” he noted, underscoring that this shift in policing is a testament to the power of good leadership.
For Sulemana Braimah, this transformation in the police force is proof that leadership, when guided by principles of fairness and integrity, can bring about remarkable change, even in long-standing institutions.
“What we see in the Ghana Police Service of today are clear manifestations of what good leadership does. It is the same policemen and women. It is the same Ghana police service. What has changed is leadership”.
Sulemana Braimah Executive Director of Media Foundation for West Africa
In a message that resonates with the broader national discourse on leadership, Sulemana Braimah called for more leaders like Dr. Dampare across Ghana’s institutions.
He emphasized that the path to safeguarding the country lies not in allowing frustrations to spiral into anarchy but in holding leaders accountable through legal and peaceful means.
Mr Braimah’s hope for the future of Ghana is captured in his concluding praise for the Inspector General: “Kudos to you, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, for your leadership. Keep it up.”
This statement comes at a time when several Ghanaians are increasingly calling for institutional reforms, better governance, and leadership that can navigate the country through its current socio-economic challenges.
Mr Braimah’s reflection on the police’s conduct during recent demonstrations, set against the backdrop of the public’s broader discontent, offers both a critique of leadership failures and a beacon of hope for what is possible with the right people at the helm.
READ ALSO: Stonebwoy Releases His Highly Anticipated ‘Jejereje’ Song With Ginton
