The Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Rear Admiral Issah Adam Yakubu on Thursday 11 August 2022, at the Naval Headquarters in Accra, presented the Gulf of Guinea medals to Naval Captain Derrick Godwill Attachie and the late Commander Yussif Benning for their meritorious and loyal service to the Gulf of Guinea and especially on their pioneering work in the Yaounde Architecture.
The medals were presented by the CNS on behalf of the Inter-Regional Coordination Centre which is based in Yaounde, Cameroon. The medals were awarded during the official inauguration of the West African Regional Maritime Security Centre on 31 of March 2022.
In view of the inability of the officers to attend the ceremony, the medals were brought to the CNS to be presented to the Naval Officers. Whilst Naval Captain Derrick Attachie personally received his medal from the CNS, that of Commander Yussif Benning was received on his behalf posthumously by his son, Abdul Salam Wissepeng.
Speaking at the short but significant ceremony, Rear Admiral Issah Yakubu applauded the awardees for their persistence, dedication, and commitment to the advancement of the Yaounde architecture and for giving good accounts of themselves towards their duties and responsibilities.
A citation accompanying the medals read “ The Executive Director of the Inter-Regional Coordination Centre (ICC) in accordance with decision No 01/ICC/2021 of 6 March 2021 awards the Gulf of Guinea meritorious gold medal to Naval Captain Derrick Attachie, former head of Training Division of ICC in recognition of his good and loyal services rendered to the Yaounde Architecture and also to Commander Yussif Bennin, former Director of the Multinational Maritime Coordination Centre, Zione F (posthumously) for his good and loyal services rendered to the Yaounde Architecture.
Presents at the event were the Chief Staff Officer at the Naval Headquarters, Cdre Maxwell Arhen, the Director-General Religious Affairs, Cdre Adjei-Djan, Directors at the Naval Headquarters and some family members of the recipients.
