NKRUMAH: How The CIA Overthrew His Government

Published on March 4, 2012

By John Stockwell, former CIA Agent

John Stockwell

"This is the way the ouster of Nkrumah was handled in Ghana, 1966. The 40 Committee had met and rejected an agency proposal to oust Nkrumah. The Accra station was nevertheless encouraged by headquarters to maintain contact with dissidents of the Ghanaian army for the purpose of gathering intelligence on their activities.

It was given a generous budget, and maintained intimate contact with the plotters as a coup was hatched. So close was the station's involvement that it was able to coordinate the recovery of some classified Soviet military equipment by the United States as the coup took place.

The station even proposed to headquarters through back channels that a squad be on hand at the moment of the coup to storm the Chinese embassy, kill everyone inside, steal their secret records, and blow up the building to cover the fact.

This proposal was quashed, but inside CIA headquarters the Accra station was given full, if unofficial credit for the eventual coup, in which eight Soviet advisors were killed. None of this was adequately reflected in the agency's written records.

Badge of CIA

This technique has worked for the agency in many other situations. Perhaps an irritating politician in a far corner of the world is magically eliminated, while the CIA records show no evidence of involvement in the crime. When done skillfully it is also the key to the individual case officer's rationalization of his conduct, his "plausible denial" to his own conscience, as though he were not responsible.

He can say, "We talked about the problem Germani was causing (or Lumumba, Trujillo Schneider, et al.), but it never even occurred to me to suggest that anything be done about it." This is my own theory of what really happened in the assassination of Lumumba. The CIA plotted to poison him, but lost its nerve. The now-public record shows that CIA officers discussed the Lumumba threat with other Congolese politicians. They did the rest.

Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah

But of course the case officers are responsible; the things wouldn't have been done if they had not been there, setting the stage.

For example, in Vietnam I inherited an operational relationship with a sadistic police officer, who occasionally mutilated prisoners in a CIA safehouse called the "Pink House."

The police officer was heavily funded by the CIA, which vouched for him to his superiors in Saigon-without this support he would not have held his post. But a succession of CIA case officers had absolved themselves of responsibility for his sadistic orgies by rationalizing that they
were only supporting him for his intelligence activities and were not responsible for
his other actions. 

  

FUEL SUBSIDY IN GHANA.  IS IT REAL, A MYTH OR A  HOAX

The main factor in petroleum product prices varying across countries of the world is government policy.  For example many European countries tax gasoline heavily with taxes.  Thus’ the ex-pump price of gasoline is made up of 60% - 75% of taxes built in the price per litre.  

Alex Mould, NPA Boss

 Price per litre ranges from US$2 - US$2.63, across the continent with Netherlands, Norway, UK, Italy, France and Turkey topping the list with US$2.63.  The heavy taxes collected are used to improve, expand and maintain the public transport system.

On the other hand in a few Latin America and Middle East countries such as Venezula and Saudi Arabia oil is produced by government owned companies and local petroleum prices are kept low, as a benefit to their countries citizens.  For example price per litre of gasoline in Venezula is 5 cents, 20 cents in Saudi Arabia, 10 cents in Iran and 60 cents in Egypt.  (Ref. my travelcost.com).

In between the two extremes are countries that see the imposition of taxes on petroleum products as a source of mobilizing huge revenue for their governments because taxes on petroleum products are easier to collect than other forms of taxes after PAYE levied on workers.  Ghana falls into this category. 

The current debate ranging on about petroleum subsidies raises the question whether the government actually pays subsidies or it is a myth or a hoax.  The reason why I pose this question is, prices Ghanaians pay for petroleum products already are on the level with prices in Russia and more than what the USA citizens pay.  The price per litre of gasoline in Russia is US$1.03 same as in Ghana and 92 cents in the USA (Ref. My travelcost.com).

Before 2001 nobody heard about subsidies on petroleum products in Ghana.  Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) was responsible for importation of crude oil, refined it into finish products and sold them to OMCS for distribution.  Before the establishment of TOR by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah these OMCS were foreign and they imported the finish products and stored them in their own depots.  TOR was also the sole importer of refined products to augment shortfalls especially when it had to shutdown for routine maintenance.

   

Tema Oil Refinery (TOR)

With the change of government in 2001 and the introduction of deregulation of the downstream petroleum industry we began to hear about subsidies on petroleum products.  Deregulation has taken away the monopoly TOR and the foreign OMCs used to enjoy.  The floodgates were opened for the proliferation of several local oil marketing companies and Bulk Oil Importers of finished products.  Implication of deregulation is importation of finished products at higher cost than if crude oil was imported and refined locally.  Pricing on Production cost model changed to Import Parity Pricing Model to align prices to global levels.  Thus the argument always raised for hikes in petroleum prices apart from the perceived and fictitious under recovery of cost are depreciation in the cedi and rising crude oil prices on the world market.

 When Mr. Alex Mould hinted the increase in fuel prices using the above reasons Dr. Wereko Bobbey and Mr. Kwasi Pratt Jr. challenged that there has never been subsidies on petroleum products in Ghana and that figures should be provided to prove.

The NPA boss, Governor of the Bank of Ghana and the Minister of Finance said a total of GH¢1.2 billion was paid on subsidies to OMCs in 2012 and it is estimated GH¢2.4 billion would be paid in 2013 if prices were not increased. I find this assertion incredibly credulous.  Is the rate of consumption of petroleum products increasing by 100% in 2013?  Or, the number of registered vehicles and cars double in the year instantly to give rise to consumption which would warrant payment of that amount?

Reasons being cited by the Minister of Finance, the NPA boss and the Governor of the Bank of Ghana to support the increases are not true.  Is the CIF cost of landing the petroleum products plus margins and handling charges greater than the ex-refinery prices approved by NPA to be charged by the Bulk Oil Importers?  Or, is the ex-refinery price greater than the selling prices?  If none of these two situations is happening there cannot be subsidies on petroleum products.

I, challenge the NPA boss to come out clean with all the break down and composition of the Ex-Refinery prices of the entire petroleum products in the name of transparency for all to see and comprehend.

After a thorough, analysis what the NPA and the government is referring to as subsidies are the differences  between the Import Parity prices fictitiously determined  and the Ex pump prices.  Import parity pricing assumes what the petro products would sell at the pump in Europe at the retail petrol stations.

The Ex-pump prices are determined by adjusting the Import Parity prices which ensures the operators a comfortable profit margin they want. For example the Import Parity price for super petro was calculated to be USD 1.16 and adjusted to USD 1.07 to be the Ex-pump price. The difference of 11 cents, fictitiously created subsidy which the Bulk Oil Importers claimed they would have earned operating in Europe is what they want Government to pay as under recovery of cost. Complete deregulation would mean Ghanaians would have to pay prices comparable to those in Europe. This is a corporate fraud against the people of Ghana back by law passed by our Parliament. This is what Professors of law and economics come on air to defend as justifiable.

 Depreciation of the cedi is another flimsy claim they made to support their argument to increase the fuel prices.  Brent Crude oil that is used in determining the price, after reaching its peak of US$125 and above in 2010, price of it have been falling, and currently fluctuates between US$110 -115.  The fall of US$10 per barrel has offset any cost impact caused by the depreciation of the cedi from 1.50 to 1.90 to the dollar. 

Diesel fuel is the main fuel for industry, transportation and the farming sectors. Any increase in it’s price has a negative cascading effect in the cost of daily living of all people, both rich and poor, but the poor suffers most.

I am surprise the Minister of Finance does not know this, and says the subsidies have not been properly targeted, if there is any at all. If they want to match fuel prices to International levels, why not also match the minimum wages to that level too?

It is only the Members of Parliament, Ministers and other Government Official who have attempted to match their salaries and other benefits to International levels.  -  Animal Farm indeed.  Minimum wages in Europe, USA and Canada are paid by the hour.  For example in Britain minimum wage per hour is about $8, one can buy about 4 litres in an hour’s wage.  In Ghana a day’s minimum wage cannot buy you a gallon of petrol.

The current price levels of US$1.07 per litre or US$4.81 per gallon for super and US$1.08 per litre or US$4.86 per gallon for diesel makes them more expensive than in the USA, Russia, Angola, Sudan, Mexico and Egypt to name a few.  Are these countries too subsidizing their petroleum products and paying billions of dollars to OMCs in their countries?

A close study of the current situation indicates that it is the Bulk Oil Importers who are responsible for pursuing these price hikes.  Their surrogates were the one who started calling for price increases and complete deregulation and aligning petrol prices to international price levels forgetting that economic conditions vary from one country to the other.

Matching fuel prices to global level translates into soaring profits to the Private Bulk Oil Importers.   That is the real game.

It is vested interest of the Bulk Oil Importers that is at the root cause of the price increases.  Consciously concealing the truth they painted a sorrowful and miserable picture of government spending so much money on subsidies thus denying resources for development.

Surprisingly, government officials, the elite in society, functionaries of the ruling party and the opposition have been caught up in this propaganda asking Ghanaians to bite the bullet in the interest of Ghana.  Big money is at the centre of this game.

An analysis of the current price build up of the various products points out to my assertion. For example, the 34 pesewas increase in gasoline and diesel prices, 26.83 pesewas went to the Bulk Oil Importers and 8.17 pesewas was shared between BOST, OMCs and Station Retailers.  The 61 pesewas increase in LPG all went to the Bulk Oil Importers.

Surprisingly not a pesewa went into government purse even though ex-refinery prices of all the product went up.  Excise duty which should increase remain the same, in fact all government taxes remain static.

The NPA boss was only doing the bidding of the Bulk Oil Importers.  There are no real subsidies on the petroleum products in Ghana.  The cost of LPG at 88 cents per kilo is the highest in the world and he still tells us that there is 66% subsidy on it. If the so call subsidy is removed which he has called for, then Ghanaians would have to pay $2.588 per kilo for the product.

I challenge the Minister of Finance, Governor of the Bank of Ghana and the NPA boss to publish the list of beneficiaries of the GH¢1.5 billion payment.

If it were true these payments were made I conclude it is a fraud and day light robbery committed against the people of Ghana. 

Mr. President I urge you to properly investigate this matter by bringing independent International Auditors from outside to do this work.  Mr. President, please hold and stop the impending price increases in the next two weeks and any further payments, if it is true Government have paying this so call subsidies to save your Government embarrassment from the Ghanaian masses. There are no real subsidies on petroleum products in this country.

Ghanaians are paying fair prices already.  Dr. Wereko Brobbey who was once an Energy Advisor to this country had said it all, and everybody should believe him.  Mr. President beware of the people surrounding you and advising you on this oil and gas matters, they all have vested personal interests. Ghana is secondary to them.

By:                 Solomon Kwawukume

Author:                 Ghana’s Oil & Gas Discoveries:  Towards Full Maximum Benefits

LEAVE MAHAMA ALONE!

By Margaret Jackson

 

President John Mahama

If you don’t recognize somebody as legit, what then do you care about what that person does. If you claim a whole duly elected and duly sworn-in President stole the elections, why worry about what that President says on the centre stage. If you repeatedly boycott anything concerning a President you hate to recognize, why would you waste your damn breath and time and comment on the State of the Nation address he gave? Or better still, if you think President Mahama is going to be thrown from office in three month’s time by the Supreme Court, why advise him on any national issue?

The NPP is indeed eating its cake before our very eyes, yet they want to throw dust into our eyes and have it back. This is a party with a bunch of questionable characters, yet they have coined some adjectives to describe the 2012 Elections which the International Community and some observers hailed as the best so far since Ghana returned to multi-party democracy in 1992.

The NPP Parliamentarians staged a walk out at the point the Speaker of Parliament invited President Mahama to address the nation, yet after the speech we have some of these same NPP Parliamentarians digesting it. This is the last thing anybody would have expected from them.

If I don’t recognize you, I don’t think I will care about anything you do. I don’t even think I will ever comment on anything you do or say because in my mind you don’t exist. The moment I comment on anything you do or say, then it means I do recognize you as legit.

Adwoa Safo and Defeated NPP Presidential Candidate Akufo Addo

 That is why I am having difficulty in understanding why Sarah Adwoa Safo, the lady who perhaps do not know why she is in parliament, will call on President Mahama’s government which she does not recognise, to make good use out of the waste products on dumping sites. This is a lady who does not recognize President Mahama as legit, therefore she walked away before President Mahama delivered the State of the Nation address. But later in an interview on Okay FM, Adwoa Safo urged President Mahama to take pragmatic measures to manage the country’s waste.

I was thinking that since Adwoa Safo does not care a hoot about President Mahama she would hold on to her unwanted advice until Akufo-Addo is sworn into his dreamy office as President of the NPP.

Another thing that comes to mind is how the NPP hacks jumped on President Mahama’s address and dismissed it as hollow. If you don’t accept the man as the President of the land, why would you comment on the speech he gave? I was thinking the NPP will simply ignore what President Mahama saidand go on with their perpetual boycotts.

Just look at what Kwabena Agyepongsaid about the Attorney General and Minister of Justice. This guy does not recognize President Mahama, but when he appointed somebody as the Attorney General, he has the guts to call on Mahama to fire the lady. What impudence!

If you are able to comment on what President Mahama says or does, then it simply means that you do recognize him as President and the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces. The NPP folks pretend they don’t care a hoot about President Mahama, but they follow everything he does or says, otherwise they will never be commenting on anything he says or does.

NPP Logo

Another issue that ticks me off has got to do with the appointment of members of the Council of State. The NPP folks in parliament do not recognize President Mahama, therefore, their members who serve on the Appointments Committee have so far boycotted the vetting of all ministers appointed by President Mahama. Yet, Papa Owusu Ankomah, MP for Sekondi, got the guts to question why President Mahama did not inform the Appointments Committee of Parliament the persons he appointed to the Council of State? Nobody knows the mind-set of the NPP folks as they keep goofing every single day thinking nobody is taking note of what they are doing.

The NPP people pretend that they are sitting on the fence and waiting for Akufo-Addo to be crowned, yet they find time to comment on issues concerning Mahama and his government. This injudicious attitude of theirs has made the NPP folks a laughing stock in many quarters. “We don’t recognize you, yet we will comment on anything you say or do.” This has been the mantra of the NPP.

It’s about time the NPP folks draw the line in the sand. It’s about time they leave Mahama alone since to them he does not exist. Just leave Mahama alone and wait till Akufo-Addo’s kingdom come. It’s as simple as that! 

magjackson80@yahoo.com

http://majjacks80.blogspot.com

Kenya: Fears of Poll violence as Mungiki re-emerges

There are rising fears that Mungiki is regrouping to possibly unleash another orgy of deadly violence should their preferred candidate, Uhuru Kenyatta, lose the presidential contest.

Chief Justice Mutunga

 In recent months, media in Kenya has reported the re-emergence of the terror group Mungiki in parts of the central region. Mungiki, an exclusively Kikuyu ethnic militia, has over the years been blamed for atrocious violence and extortion in central Kenya, the Rift Valley and Nairobi.

Mungiki's last known leader was Maina Njenga, who announced two years ago that he had converted to Christianity and is now seeking election as senator for Nairobi County. No one speaks for the proscribed underground militia nowadays.

The group is accused of having been used by powerful politicians to conduct retaliatory attacks in Nairobi and Rift Valley during the 2007-2008 post-election violence. The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court alleges that Mungiki leaders held a meeting at State House, the president's official residence in Nairobi, to plot the attacks.

Several Mungiki leaders were killed in mysterious circumstances or disappeared after the post-election violence.

Four Kenyans, including Jubilee Coalition presidential candidate Uhuru Kenyatta and his running mate William Ruto, will stand trial from April 10 at the ICC for crimes against humanity committed in the 2007-2008 polls chaos.

 

Uhuru Kenyatta

Now, with another hotly contested election only days away on March 4, there are rising fears that Mungiki is regrouping possibly to stage another orgy of violence should their preferred candidate, Uhuru, lose the presidential contest.

There are eight presidential candidates in this election. The latest opinion polls show that the contest is between Uhuru and the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) candidate Prime Minister Raila Odinga, with Raila leading by two percentage points at most. Pollsters are also predicting a second round, as neither of the two is likely to meet the high constitutional threshold for a straight win on March 4.

On Wednesday, 20 February, a CORD campaign convoy was attacked by youths in Kiambu County, a Uhuru stronghold neighbouring Nairobi City, where Mungiki is believed to have reactivated its networks.

The incident comes less than two weeks after gangs of youths attempted to disrupt Odinga’s campaign rallies in parts of central Kenya.

On the day of the latest attack, Kenya’s Chief Justice and President of the Supreme Court Dr Willy Mutunga issued a statement (see next report) stating that he had received a letter purportedly from Mungiki threatening him and High Court judges. The threat was connected to an integrity case concerning Uhuru and Ruto that was coming up for a ruling.

Kenyan media has reported that, days before the letter was sent to the Chief Justice, a close ally of presidential candidate Uhuru Kenyatta, Mr. Kabando wa Kabando, issued a threat to the judges similar to that contained in the Mungiki letter.

These recent developments have led to increased anxiety, with reports saying non-Kikuyu citizens living in central Kenya are relocating to safer places, despite repeated government assurances of increased security during the election period.

Below is the letter allegedly sent by Mungiki to Chief Justice Mutunga:

 

SMEAR CAMPAIGN AGAINST IRAN INTENSIFIES

By Ekow Mensah.

Newly Appointed CIA Boss John Brennan

 “Propaganda experts in the CIA station in Kinshasha Busily planted articles in the Kinshasha newspapers, Elimo and Salongo, These were recopied into agency cables and sent on the European, Asian and South American stations, where they were secretly passed to recruited journalists representing major news services who saw to it that many were replayed in the world press. Similarly, the Lusaka Station placed a steady flow of stories in Zambian newspapers and then replayed them to major European newspapers”.

 This is how John stockwell, a former twice decorated agent of the CIA described the agency’s operations against the Government of Angola in his famous book “In Search of Enemies – A CIA story”

This revealing piece cannot be just about Angola; it is how the CIA and other western intelligence agencies set about to demonize Governments they don’t like.

 The truth is most certainly not important in the scheme of things. Fabrications, half truths and conjecture is best suited for the propaganda operations to which Iran is being seriously subjected.

Since the Iranian revolution which toppled the US puppetry in Tehran, western intelligence agencies have systematically sought to paint a picture of Iran as the haven of terrorism and the export of radical fundamental Islam.

The truth however is that it is Iran which has become the target of Zionist and western terrorism. The assassination of Iranian cities and the Kidnapping nuclear scientists, the bombing of Iranian citizens abroad bear eloquent testimony.

Indeed, it is unthinkable that a nation which is facing numerous unreasonable sanctions from the European Union and the United States of America will chose the path of international terrorism to help its enemies succeed in their diabolical acts.

Nigeria President Jonathan Goodluck

Over the last couple of years, there have been strenuous efforts to damage Iran’s relations with African countries especially Nigeria and Senegal. This has involved the planting of stories in the worldwide media suggesting that the Government of Iran is involved in the export of weapons to or from those countries.

The most recent story is that the State Security Service (SSS)  of Nigeria on Wednesday, February 20, 2013 claimed that it had arrested three Nigerians who had obtained financial assistance  from “elements in Iran” to assassinate prominent Nigerian politicians and to carry out terrorist attacks.

The only stated links of the group to Iran is that its alleged leader, Abdullali Berende is a former student of the Imam Khomeini University in Iran.

 The story itself claims that the handlers of the alleged terrorists are based in Dubai.

Not a single Iranian official or citizen has been named as being involved in what has allegedly been uncovered by the Nigerian SSS and yet the news all over the world is that once again the Iranians have been caught in a terrorist plot.

The timing of this Alice – In- Wonderland story is interesting. It comes at a time when Iran has announced the normalization of its relations with Senegal. It has also freshly established relations with about six African countries and the country’s President is planning a West African tour.

What perfect timing?

 

US officials secretly visited N Korea

US President Barack Obama

 US officials have made two clandestine trips to North Korea in the past year in efforts to sway its new and younger leader Kim Jong Un into softening his nation’s stance towards Washington.

The brief visits in April and August by a White House official and other US authorities were aimed at encouraging the new leadership to moderate its foreign policy after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, in December 2011, The Los Angeles Times reports on Sunday, quoting former American officials.

However, the report says, the North Korean leadership snubbed the US scheme.

The former US authorities, who spoke on condition of anonymity, added that the first visit was “an unsuccessful attempt to persuade Pyongyang not to launch a long-range rocket.”

North Korea, however, conducted the missile launch on April 12, which did not turn out to be a successful attempt, though a subsequent launch of another long-range rocket in December was successful.

The April trip, according to the officials quoted by the daily, was led by Joseph DeTrani, a North Korea expert who at the time directed the National Counter Proliferation Center in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, “which coordinates US intelligence agencies,” adding that it was not clear which American official led the August visit to North Korea.
 

North Korean Leader, Kim Jong Un

 DeTrani left the White House last year and now heads the Intelligence and National Security Alliance, an industry group.

"There are certain things I just won't talk about, and this is one subject I really feel it's not appropriate for me to comment on," DeTrani said in a telephone interview with the Times.

The unnamed officials further elaborated that Sydney Seiler, who is in charge of Korea policy at the National Security Council, made both trips to Pyongyang.

Seiler, according to the report, is a veteran CIA analyst that speaks Korean fluently.

This is while the White House, State Department and CIA have refused to confirm or deny the 2012 trips, the report adds.

Meanwhile, the North Korean government carried out its third and most powerful underground nuclear test earlier this month, after a surge of harsh anti-American rhetoric by its officials.