The Member of Parliament for Ofoase-Ayirebi, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has criticised both past and current government leadership and the military following the deaths of six young women at El-Wak Stadium on Wednesday, November 13.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Thursday, November 13, he said the tragedy should force serious reflection among those in authority.
“I think that those of us in leadership, past and present, should bow our heads in shame because this is a blot, or it should be a blot, on our conscience,” he said.
He said the military should also take responsibility for what happened. “The military should also bow its head in shame. The military is one of the most professional, most disciplined, and most organised institutions, and to have on their watch several exercises across the country go this wrong is unacceptable.”
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Mr Oppong Nkrumah noted that the issues were not limited to Accra alone. “It’s not just in Accra, it’s in Kumasi and other places too. You see videos of scaffolds and other dangerous scenes that may not have led to injuries yet, but they show that more needs to be done.”
He questioned how the military had prepared for the event, suggesting a failure in planning and intelligence.
“They must ask themselves very honest questions about what sort of intel they had picked up and how they had structured all of this, knowing the unemployment challenge,” he said.
However, he urged national reflection and reform on processes. “But for the broader leadership of this country, I think that for all the years we have had, for all the resources that this country has, this is evidence of the fact that we’ve not been able to deliver an economy that meets the aspirations of many young people. That’s why you have tens of thousands of them queuing up like that,” he said.
He called the tragedy “a moment for serious introspection and reform,” warning against turning it into another round of political talk.
“Sometimes when these things come up, we just use them for partisan commentary, then there’s a state funeral, some money is donated to the families, and then we move on.
“But I think that this should call for some very serious reform, for example, about the recruitment into the security services, but even the broader question of creating opportunities for young people in this country;” he said.
Mr Oppong Nkrumah called for structural changes in recruitment into the security services and broader efforts to create opportunities for Ghana’s youth. “And I think if we pay a lot more attention to that, then we can draw a line in the sand.”
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