Service personnel throng Ghana Airports for endorsement

There was intense jostling for space at the Aviation Social Centre in Accra yesterday as prospective national service persons posted to the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) massed up at the centre to get their appointment letters endorsed by the company.

The development followed an announcement by the company, calling on potential service persons who submitted letters to its office in Accra to meet at the centre for approval.

More than 500 people who got wind of the information crowded the venue in a desperate quest to have their forms endorsed.

The Daily Graphic gathered that the company received more than 650 applications, far in excess of the 200 placements they have on offer, and thus the mad rush.

The National Service Secretariat (NSS) postings for the 2019/2020 service year, which was released last month, quoted 77,962 applicants as having been posted to various public and private institutions.

Massive turnout

When the Daily Graphic arrived at the scene at about 12 p.m., the endorsement exercise had begun, and the auditorium for the activity, filled to capacity.

Others who failed to secure seats in the auditorium had massed at the entrance to the centre, very eager to hear their names mentioned.

To avoid the situation getting out of control, there were about 10 security personnel, comprising both the police and military on hand.

Some of the applicants said they submitted their application letters at the office of the GACL about three weeks ago and were told they would be called after their applications had been processed.

They said they were thus waiting to hear from the company, only to chance on a press release on social media platforms asking them to report at the Aviation Social Centre.

"I did not believe it initially until a friend who was also posted to the company confirmed it when he got here," an applicant, Mr Emmanuel Mensah, said.

An applicant who pleaded anonymity, said: "A lot of applicants do not know of what is happening here today. The company could have at least contacted us individually by text because we were made to leave our contact numbers when we earlier submitted our letters to them.”

They pay well

Some of the applicants said they were desperate to have the company endorse their forms since they had gathered that it paid more than the GH¢ 559 as allowance for national service persons.

Others also said they desired to work in the aviation industry and that securing a place with the company would serve as a stepping stone for them to develop their careers.

Eugenia Osei Owusu, on the other hand, said: "I want to know whether I will be selected or not so that I can quickly apply for reposting if I'm denied."

Officials decline to comment

Officials of the GACL, who were supervising the exercise, declined to comment on the development.

However, a source revealed that the company received a total of 659 applications out of which it had the capacity to accommodate only 250 people.

The source failed to indicate the criteria the company would adopt in selecting successful applicants.

By the time the Daily Graphic left the scene at about 2 p.m, many applicants were still seated in the auditorium with quite a number waiting in nervous expectation.