Security alert: Armed Forces can't protect Ghana - MP hints

The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) may be unable to provide internal security and protect the nation from external forces, if urgent steps are not taken to address their dire financial constraints, a ranking member on the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament has warned.

Major. Derrick Oduro (rtd), the Nkoranza North MP, is therefore hoisting a red flag over government's allocation of GHC880.4 million in the 2015 budget to the Defence Ministry for their activities next year.  

He told Joy News' parliamentary correspondent Elton Brobbey that the financial challenges of the armed forces are so serious that the institution does not have money to even buy food to feed the soldiers.

They have also run out of medical supplies as pharmaceutical companies are no longer supplying them because their debt has “risen so high”, he said.

Some pharmaceutical companies have even threatened to sue the Ghana Armed Forces, Major Oduro remarked.

According to him, if buying food and fuel for vehicles are a challenge, then it needs no mentioning that soldiers cannot afford “tactical equipment” like ammunition and other equipment he said ought to be discussed in chambers.

 “If we want them to provide adequate security to the nation, they would not be able to do that,” Major Aduro warned.

“There are so many things which are lacking in the armed forces,” he announced. “Even for minor, minor maintenance there is no money to repair them…[a]very serious situation.”

He charges the Ministry of Defence to, as soon as possible, respond to these needs as he condemned the situation where military personnel have to “dip their hands into their own pockets,” to cover basic needs that ought to be supplied by the state.

All these challenges were discovered by the Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Interior, which is in charge of soldiers welfare, when they went around the country to ascertain the situation.

He however commended the soldiers for sacrificing and keeping their morale high in spite of the challenges.

Going forward, he suggested that the engineering regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces who have very good field engineers should be given contracts by the state so that they can earn money to take care of their basic needs.

Earlier in Parliament, emotions were high over the budgetary allocation to the Defence Ministry with some Members of Parliament describing the amount as too small to enable the Ghana Armed Forces meet its requirement in 2015.

Defence Minister Dr. Benjamin Kunbuor and the chairman of the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament Fritz Baffour fear the ministry will face serious challenges if the GHC880.4 million are not reviewed.

Parliament is expected to meet the Finance Minister to address the concerns of the Ghana Armed Forces in private. Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com| Isaac Essel | [email protected] | twitter @isaacessel