Deputy Spokesperson to Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Kofi Tonto, has called on the government and the Ghana Armed Forces to refund all recruitment application fees paid by military applicants following the tragic stampede at the El-Wak Sports Stadium in Accra.
Speaking on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana with Moro Awudu, Mr. Tonto said it was unfair to charge desperate young people 350 cedis for recruitment when the odds of being selected were extremely low.
“We don’t need to charge already burdened young people 350 cedis, and they still have to spend on printing, transportation and food. On average, each applicant spends between 500 and 600 cedis or more just to have a chance at something they don’t even have a chance at,” he said.
He explained that with about 90,000 applicants and only around 1,000 slots available, only about one percent would be selected, suggesting that most of the remaining positions would go to those with protocol access.
Mr. Tonto proposed two possible actions for the government. First, that all applicants should receive refunds of their application fees, and second, that the government should compensate the families of those who died or were injured in the stampede.
“If not, then the total amount collected, which could be around 32 million cedis, should be given to the families of the deceased and the injured,” he said, adding that he preferred the first option because it would provide some relief to every applicant.
He also echoed the late Dr. Edward Omane Boamah’s call for the Ghana Armed Forces to modernize its recruitment process.
“The military cannot continue to rely on outdated body selection and fitness tests from years ago,” he said, noting that updating the process would have been a fitting way to honor the late minister’s legacy.
The comments come after a recruitment exercise at El-Wak Sports Stadium on Wednesday morning turned tragic, leaving six people dead and 28 others injured.
Five victims were reported to be in critical condition at the 37 Military Hospital, while 12 others were receiving serious treatment.
