Major Mahama Bill to be reviewed - Defence Minister

Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul has announced the Major Mahama Bill which was recently passed into law, will be amended.

Taking his turn at the meet the press series today [Thursday] the minister said the suggestions by some individuals for the bill to be expanded to cover others were a great decision.

“This suggestion is worth considering, and we’re putting a memo together to have a discussion with the Commander in Chief who’s the President so that we can take a relook at it. But let me tell you that the Armed Forces regulations, make provision very explicitly for people who get maimed, people who die or get incapacitated, or suffer some any form of injury, there are compensation for everyone of them. So it’s not as if there’s nothing.

But it looks like the people of Ghana want a specific law so that we can amend the Armed Forces regulations and set up a specific law for those category of persons who die. I think it’s worthwhile considering and we’ll do that and bring it. Only what I’ll tell you is that we the people must fund it.

He added: If every November, we all decide to give 0.05% of our salaries which is the Veterans month for that fund I’ll be very happy and I’m saying let’s champion that course, 0/05% of our salaries.”

Ghana’s Parliament in November approved a bill that will make the spouse and children of Major Maxwell Mahama the state’s responsibility.

The bill was introduced in Parliament Tuesday, October 24 in fulfilment of President Nana Akufo-Addo's promise to the family of Major Mahama, a military officer lynched by a mob in Denkyira-Obuasi now New Oboase.

The soldier was murdered in May 2017 after residents of the Central Region town allegedly mistook him for an armed robber.