Lawyer Tsikata Assigns Reason{s} For National Honour Boycott

Lawyer Fui Tsikata is one of two selected legal personnel who boycotted a national honour in recognition of their exceptional roles in winning the maritime boundary dispute between Ghana and La Cote d’Ivoire in the Chamber of the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in Hamburg in Germany in 2017.

 

 

On March 14, it was revealed by a presidential staffer that the two wrote to decline the honour and thereby their “no show” at the event which saw a number of Ghanaians aside from the legal personnel being honoured.

 

 

Their action was attributed to partisanship, however, Lawyer Tsikata has rubbished that perception.

 

 

In a statement on March 15, he pointed to his convictions- about not accepting recognition in the form of national honours- as a reason for boycotting the honour.

 

 

“Those who know me will confirm these convictions as well as my inclination to avoid grand public gestures and the fuss around them.”

 

 

That doesn’t seem to be all. In the statement, he faulted the criteria with which the selection was made for the awards and noted that that rather tarnished the awards.

 

 

According to him, persons like Professor Martin Tsamenyi who deserved the honour were not nominated.

 

 

“It is impossible to understand the criteria which excluded the names of Nana Asafu-Adjaye, Thomas Manu, Ayaa Armah, Kojo Agbenor-Efunam, Nana Appia Kyei and Nii Adzei Akpor. Even Professor Martin Tsamenyi is left out.

 

 

“It was his work that led to the creation of the Maritime Boundary Secretariat, which co-ordinated the litigation. He was an influential member of the team till he fell ill. Nor is it clear why Kwame Mfodwo, the Co-ordinator of the Maritime Boundary Secretariat and Nana Poku, the indefatigable cartographer of the team, was only deserving of “Certificates”, in an evidently belated attempt to offer them some acknowledgement.”

 

 

Maritime Boundary Dispute 

The dispute erupted in 2010 over the ownership of known natural resources in the Atlantic Ocean, according to African Journals Online.

 

The case was heard by the Special Chamber of the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in Hamburg in Germany.

 

In September 2017, the court ruled in favour of Ghana.

 

According to the Ghanaian Embassy in Berlin, the Chamber in a unanimous decision ruled that there had not been any violation on the part of Ghana on Côte d’Ivoire’s maritime boundary and further rejected Côte d’Ivoire’s argument that Ghana’s coastal lines were unstable.

 

It also noted that Ghana has not violated Côte d’Ivoire’s sovereign rights with its oil exploration in the disputed basin.

 

The case was inherited by several Ghanaian administrations and legal representatives until its resolution six years ago.

  

Awards

Almost six years later, President Akufo-Addo- during whose tenure the case came to a close- decided to honour the lawyers who played exceptional roles in Ghana’s victory including Lawyer Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong and Lawyer Fui Tsikata- who represented Ghana during the era of John Dramani Mahama.

 

 

In his speech, he said the efforts and contributions of these individuals couldn’t be “overlooked, discounted or understated”.

 

 

He stated, “Our victory in maritime boundary dispute could not have been achieved through the actions of one person, one political party or one government”.

 

But according to Charles Nii Teiko Tagoe, a presidential staffer, the Lawyer Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong- a former Attorney General and Minister for Justice- and Lawyer Fui Tsikata rejected the award.

 

In a Facebook post, he explained that they wrote to decline the award.

 

“Lawyer Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong and Lawyer Fui Tsikata wrote to decline the National Honours awards as Members of Ghana’s legal team at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. Sad!”, he posted on March 14 after the event.

 

 

Below Is The Full Statement From Lawyer Tsikata:

I understand that my decision to decline the offer of a national award is being interpreted as motivated by partisan political considerations.

 

In my letter of 2 November 2022 to the Solicitor-General, in response to hers informing me of the offer of an award, I explain that “I have long and deeply held convictions about not accepting recognition in the form of national honours.”

 

Those who know me will confirm these convictions as well as my inclination to avoid grand public gestures and the fuss around them.

 

If anything tarnishes the awards, it is not my rejection of the offer to me, but rather the unfortunate selectivity in deciding those involved in the maritime boundary litigation to whom awards would be given. It is impossible to understand the criteria which excluded the names of Nana Asafu-Adjaye, Thomas Manu, Ayaa Armah, Kojo Agbenor-Efunam, Nana Appia Kyei and Nii Adzei Akpor. Even Professor Martin Tsamenyi is left out.

 

It was his work that led to the creation of the Maritime Boundary Secretariat, which co-ordinated the litigation.

 

He was an influential member of the team till he fell ill. Nor is it clear why Kwame Mfodwo, the Co-ordinator of the Maritime Boundary Secretariat and Nana Poku, the indefatigable cartographer of the team, were only deserving of “Certificates”, in an evidently belated attempt to offer them some acknowledgement.

 

I prefer to celebrate the collective effort of the team and the leadership that promoted collaboration and stifled disruptive elements. The unforgettable images of Marietta Brew Appiah-Opong handing over to Gloria Akuffo symbolise that and remain indelible.

 

 

 

 

Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini