FAILURE TO APPOINT DEFENCE MINISTER HAS MADE GHANA VULNERABLE TO EXTERNAL THREATS – Ntim Fordjour
The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, has reiterated calls for the government to choose a permanent defence minister, stating that Ghana is at risk if this isn’t done.
His remarks come after fishermen in the Awutu Senya District of the Central Region were attacked at sea close to Senya Beraku. According to reports, armed men held the victims at gunpoint, fired several warning shots, and stole seven outboard motors, generators, and other valuables.
In an interview with JoyNews’ The Pulse on Thursday, Rev. Ntim Fordjour called the situation concerning and attributed it to a lack of leadership in the defence industry.
“Piracy is becoming a growing concern. The crisis in the defence sector is alarming. For the past few months, we have urged the President to appoint a substantive Minister of Defence. The failure to do so has made our country vulnerable to external threats,” he said.
According to him, “It is reckless and dangerous that the President has taken no action in this regard. The message we are sending to external actors is that we do not take our defence seriously.”
The growing instances of insecurity, according to Rev. Ntim Fordjour, indicate larger systemic flaws that need immediate political response.
At a time when Ghana is dealing with changing security threats both inside and without its borders, he emphasized that the lack of a meaningful defense minister compromises coordination and strategic direction.
Following an attack on Ghanaian tomato dealers in Burkina Faso that claimed eight lives, the Member of Parliament for Assin South characterised the most recent incident as proof of increasing shortcomings in Ghana’s defence and security sector.
NKONKONSA.com
