The recruitment exercise for enlistment in the various arms of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) at the El-Wak Sports Stadium that claimed the lives of six applicants is regrettable.
In this era of hi-tech, it's unthinkable to ask applicants in Accra to assemble at a single location.
The military could have foreseen the stampede and taken steps to prevent it, since the population size of the other regions is far lower. Accra's population is about 0.15 percent of the national population.
Is El-Wak the only Stadium in Accra? What about Accra, Tema, Legon, Borteyman, etc sports stadia, all in the Greater Accra Region?
The excuse that some applicants scheduled for subsequent days all reported on the same day, Wednesday, cannot be tenable.
If the military cannot ensure the safety of its applicants and as many as six have to perish in a recruitment exercise in one day, then the nation has to sit up.
This highly motivated young people just want to comprise the backbone of our military force by taking their place as some of Ghana's next generation of soldiers.
Meanwhile, our young people, whose economic circumstances make military service a viable career choice, are dying without a single gunshot.
This is very unpardonable, GAF.
Most Ghanaians associate discipline, command and control leadership with the military.
But what went wrong?
It was Lord Salisbury, a British statesman and Conservative politician, who said, "If you believe the doctors, nothing is wholesome; if you believe the theologians, nothing is innocent; and if you believe the military, nothing is safe."
Are we safe if we believe the military? I hope yes!
Richard Cudjoe,
Adenta, Accra
