The Bureau of Public Safety (BPS), a Non-Governmental Organization, has expressed concern that the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) is fast losing the hallmark of discipline for which it was once revered.
Speaking on Citi FM’s Point of View programme, the Executive Director of the Bureau, Dr. Nana Yaw Akwada, said recent developments within the military point to a worrying decline in professionalism and accountability.
“I am very, very disappointed that our military— and probably some officers may disagree with me on this— is, over time, losing its discipline,” Dr. Akwada lamented while reacting to the tragic El-Wak Stadium stampede, which claimed six lives and left several others injured during a military recruitment exercise.
Dr. Akwada cited a pattern of excesses by the military in civilian operations without consequences, saying,
“Whether they go into a town to avenge the death of one of their own, committing human rights violations without punishment, or act in excess during public safety operations where people die or lose their livelihoods — nothing happens. This development is growing, and if we don’t act now, we may one day wake up without a country.”
He therefore called for a comprehensive reassessment of the ongoing recruitment process before reopening it, stressing the need for accountability in the investigations surrounding the tragedy.
According to him, officials who authorised the mass messaging that led to the overcrowding at El-Wak must be identified and sanctioned.
“Those who had access to the data and sent text messages to thousands of people to converge at one location must be held responsible, so Ghana can rebuild the kind of disciplined military it deserves,” he asserted.
Dr. Akwada proposed that Ghana develop a standardized operational manual for all large-scale recruitment and public exercises. He further urged state institutions to adhere to occupational safety and health regulations just like private entities.
“If I, as a private individual, organise a programme at El-Wak or any venue, I am bound by occupancy regulations dictated by the National Fire Service. The same must apply to state institutions,” he said, adding that if he were a musician and people died due to overcrowding at his concert, he could be sued.
“If I were a relative of one of the deceased, I would be consulting a lawyer by now to hold the Ghana Armed Forces, the Attorney General, and all relevant parties accountable. We must grow beyond this,” he emphasised.
