Mad rush for army forms

Hundreds of energetic Ghanaian youth yesterday besieged the Nkrumah Circle and Accra Central Branch of the Ghana Post Office (GPO) in Accra to purchase conscription forms that would make them eligible to join the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).

Aged between 21 and 24-years, the mostly Senior High School (SHS) leavers, told Today that the hardships they have experienced since leaving school motivated them to go to the conscription points at 11.00 P.M., the night before to join queues for the forms that cost GHS25.00 apiece.

“We had to sleep in the open and at the mercy of mosquitoes, but I hope it will eventually pay off if I’m able to join the army,” one of them affirmed. 23-year-old David Obeng, who looked upset, told this reporter at 9:15A.M., on Thursday that “I had been here since 11:00 P.M., yesterday, [Wednesday] but I have not had the opportunity to enter the Post Office or buy the forms….”

The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) started advertising the release of conscription forms in the dailies and on their website on March 13, 2013 and calling for enlistment into the Army, Navy and Air Force.

The advertisement states clearly that “Eligible applicants must be a Ghanaian citizen by birth, be of good character, not less than 18 years and not more than 23½ years for non-tradesmen and not more than 25 years for tradesmen by the time of call up for training, be medically fit by Armed Forces standards, not married and not bonded.’

The conscripts “are also expected to be of a minimum height of 1.68m (5’6”) for males and 1.57m (5’2”) for females. For Military Police only; applicants must be of a minimum height of 1.75m (5’9”) for males and 1.70m (5’7”) for females,” the advert states.

Today discovered that since the advertisement saw the light of day about a week ago, hundreds of SHS leavers all over the country have been spending days and nights at the premises of Ghana Post Office everywhere waiting to buy forms. David Obeng, who is a former student of Osei Kyeretwie SHS in Kumasi, attributed the delay in getting a form to the usual “connection” that characterizes the outdoor and sale of employment forms anywhere these days.

He accused some military officers who kept appearing on the premises of the Post Office at Kwame Nkrumah Circle and “entering the office with school bags and, certainly leaving with forms they would definitely go and sell at exorbitant prices….” of causing the delay.

When asked to give evidence to his accusations, he quickly pointed to a young woman whom he said came to the post office premises ‘only this morning, but already has forms, because she “tipped” the security guys.’

According to David Obeng, those who got the forms through “connection” bought each for either GHS40.00 or GHS50.00 instead of the stipulated GHS25.00 advertised by the GAF.

When Today contacted the young lady and the soldier alleged to have sold the form to her, both were unwilling to speak to the paper.

At the Accra Central Post office, other prospective form-buyers, who spoke to the paper on condition of anonymity, reaffirmed the allegation.