"It's Extortion": Henry Kokofu Chides Gov’t Over Security Service Recruitment

• Dr Henry Kwabena Kokofu has accused the government of using the ongoing security service recruitment to extort money from unemployed youth
• The Interior Minister, Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka, confirmed that over 105,000 applicants have reached medical screening, but only 5,000 will be recruited
• Kokofu described encouraging 500,000 people to apply for such limited slots as “robbery and daylight extortion

Dr Henry Kwabena Kokofu, the former CEO of the Environmental Protection Agency, has slammed the government for opening applications for thousands of people despite knowing that it can only recruit a small fraction of applicants in the ongoing security service recruitment exercise.

Speaking on Channel One TV, Dr Kokofu, who is aspiring for the New Patriotic Party's General Secretary position, said the entire recruitment process is a ploy designed to extort money from the teeming unemployed youth in Ghana.

He said he cannot fathom why Ghanaian youth who are passionate about serving in their country's internal security architecture would be made to pay application-related costs with little chance of success.

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“This is how we have succeeded in institutionalising criminality and extortion from the ordinary poor people. These are poor young people who, through no fault of theirs, are eager to serve their country in those various capacities, yet the institutions know exactly how many people they can absorb,” he said.

Kokofu cites favouritism in recruitment process

The former EPA boss, in a report sighted on Citinewsroom, further claimed that the recruitment process is riddled with favouritism and protocol placements.

This, he said, significantly reduces the chances of ordinary applicants being recruited after going through the entire process.

“With the 5,000 slots, I can assure you that about 4,000 will go into protocol, leaving the poor applicant to compete for the remaining 1,000 slots with as many as 500,000 people," he further stated.

Interior Minister speaks on recruitment exercise

His comments come after the Minister for the Interior, Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka, indicated that over 105,000 applicants have progressed to the medical screening stage of the ongoing recruitment exercise.

Out of this huge number, the minister said only 5,000 people will be recruited into the various internal security services.

He further disclosed that the recruitment exercise attracted more than 400,000 applications from across the 16 regions of Ghana.

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Addressing the media on Wednesday, March 10, Muntaka explained that authorities set the pass mark for the recruitment aptitude test at 65 to control the number of candidates progressing to the medical stage.

According to him, the decision was necessary to keep the recruitment process manageable and fair, considering the limited capacity of the security agencies.

“Are you going to allow over 400,000 people to go and do medicals when you know you have space for only 5,000? How fair are you to the people? You need to devise a method to slow down the numbers and have a reasonable figure,” he said.

Democracy Hub to sue government over recruitment

Meanwhile YEN.com.gh reported earlier that the Democracy Hub had threatened legal action against the Ghanaian government over a long-standing practice of non-competitive public sector recruitment.

The group claims many vacancies are quietly filled without advertisement, denying qualified applicants the chance to apply.

The legal suit aims to enforce transparent, competitive hiring procedures in line with constitutional principles of fairness and administrative justice.

Source: YEN.com.gh