- Minority to summon Interior Minister over secret recruitment.
- Dispute over existence of backlog of security service applicants.
- Police cleared all 2021-2022 recruitment applicants, says Minority.
- Minority demands transparent recruitment process.
The Minority in Parliament has vowed to summon the Interior Minister, Henry Quartey, to answer questions regarding a secret recruitment exercise into the security services. The move follows reports of a planned recruitment of 11,000 personnel from a backlog of applicants over the years, which the Minority contends is shrouded in secrecy.
According to the Minority, a press release from the Ghana Police Service suggests that there is no backlog to be recruited into the security services, contradicting the Interior Minister’s claims. The Ranking Member of the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament, James Agalga, addressed journalists, emphasizing the need for transparency and fairness in the recruitment process.
Agalga argued that the police had cleared all applicants from the 2021-2022 recruitment exercise, and any new recruitment requires fresh applications with clear eligibility criteria. He called for advertisements capturing eligibility criteria, as done during the NDC era, to ensure fairness and transparency in the recruitment process.
Agalga explained that the concept of a backlog refers to outstanding applicants from an incomplete recruitment exercise, but the police have cleared all applicants from the previous exercise. He questioned the Interior Minister’s claim of a backlog and demanded clarity on the recruitment process, insisting that the Minister must adhere to the rules of fairness and transparency.
The Minority has threatened to haul the Interior Minister before the House to explain the secretive recruitment process under his watch. The standoff highlights the ongoing tensions between the Minority and the Interior Minister over the recruitment exercise, with the Minority demanding transparency and accountability.
