Member of Parliament for Wa West, Peter Lanchene Toobu has asked persons seeking entry into the state security agencies to be mindful of their real intent of getting recruited.
He said money should not be the driving factor for which people will want to get recruited because people go in there with that motive end up dying.
His comments come after thousands of Ghanaian youth continue to queue to be enlisted into the various security services.
Earlier this week, hundreds massed up at the El-Wak Stadium in Accra to start recruitment processes into the Ghana Immigration Service.
Scenes from the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, where thousands of applicants running to secure spots in queues, have been flooding social media, raising concerns on shifting from the old ways of screening and enlisting applicants into security services and forces.
Speaking on this development on the Key Points on TV3/3FM Saturday October 30with host Dzifa Bampoh, Peter Lanchene Toobu said “Sometimes people think that this is a goldmine, I am going in there to look for money because there should be a lot of money in there.
“You see a young man who has just returned from peacekeeping, he goes to buy a car and so others say, I want to get in there. You don’t know what it takes for you to get to that stage so when you get in there at the beginning and you are getting frustrated you will realize that this is not cut out for me.
“The truth of the matter is, I have been in it for 25 years and I can tell you as a fact that there are people who go in there they die, they go and look for money and they die in the process. There are people who go in there and they get dismissed. If you are sworn in to serve Ghana and you are finally dismissed, it is a is a curse. It is a curse because you had taken an oath to serve mother Ghana and you messed up yourself to the point you are dismissed.”
He further called for a review of the recruitment process into the Ghana National Fire Service and the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS).
According to him, since 1992, the only new thing that has been introduced into the process is the online application.
Mr Toobu who is also a retired Police Officer said there has not been any significant changes in the recruitment process since 1992 when he joined the Police service.
He said “What is happening right now in the security sector is just a simple sign that what is written in the national security strategy that that youth unemployment remains the greatest threat to our national security, a true statement.
“Couldn’t we have done this better? As a member of the defence and interior committee with an oversight responsibility on the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of National security, I am sure that all of us are beginning to look at this differently.”
The member of the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament added “When I joined the Police in 1992, what I have seen apart from the initial online application, there is no change. What it means is that for over almost 30 years we have actually not changed the system so much.
“Technology is transforming the whole world and gradually, we should begin to simplify some of these processes to ensure that these young people who are ready frustrated can actually get recruited in a very dignified and in a very humane manner.
“Looking at what is happening, sometimes we say that you need to have a feel of what is like to get into the job but gradually the psychological impact on these young people before they get recruited can be lasting for their lifetime , lasting for their career. So, I think that we should begin to look at it differently using technology. We can shorten the process, we can simplify the process.”
