Not long after the National Democratic Congress flagbearer for the 2020 general elections, John Dramani Mahama accused the government of training party thugs at the Asutsuare Military Training Camp, the Minority in Parliament has also alleged that the government is secretly recruiting people into the various security agencies by sidestepping laid down procedures.
According to the Ranking Member on the Defense and Interior Committee, James Agalga, the government of the day without recourse to the laid down procedures is recruiting cronies into the police, prison services, among others.
He made the allegation at a news conference at the precincts of Parliament on Wednesday.
“Just as the recruitment of personnel into the Police Service in 2018 was characterized by outright nepotism and procedural breaches, the recruitment exercise which is currently ongoing is to say the least, fraudulent. In 2019, there has been no advertisement whatsoever for recruitment into the Police Service.”
“Consequently, no applications have been received or processed in the e-recruitment portal of the Police Service which can be accessed online. And yet, certain individuals have been invited and are being taken through medical screening for purposes of getting them recruited,” he said.
He further demanded an immediate halt to the supposed illegal recruitment into the security institutions in the country.
He also called on President Akufo-Addo to put measures in place to curb the said act.
“Quite evidently, the conduct of President Akufo-Addo’s government with regards to recruitment into the security agencies sharply contradicts his own manifesto pledge,” he stated.
“Flowing from the above, the Minority hereby demands the immediate cancellation of the secret recruitment exercise embarked upon by the Police, Prisons and Immigration Services in 2019. We also call upon President Akufo-Addo to institute measures to root out, cronyism and nepotism with respect to recruitment Into the security agencies.”
Majority in Parliament denies allegations
Meanwhile, the Majority has denied claims of the alleged illegal recruitment into the security institutions.
Vice-Chairman of the Defense and Interior Committee of Parliament, Collins Owusu-Amankwaa described the accusations as false.
“As a matter of fact, there are many questions we should ask ourselves. Can anyone become a security officer in this country? An answer to this question is yes, provided you’re a Ghanaian, with sound mind, and have successfully passed your SSSCE examination. There are certain entry requirements that one ought to be qualified and the standard and procedures are clear on that.”
“So I’m surprised that Agalga is making this assertion that government is conniving with security agencies to recruit people purported to be members of the ruling party. It is baseless and lacks substance and I don’t think we should waste productive time on this issue being raised by the Minority in Parliament,” he noted.