A member of Parliament for Walewale, Dr. Abdul Kabiru Tiah Mahama, is urging the government to go beyond offering automatic recruitment slots to families affected by the tragic El-Wak Stadium stampede, insisting that the gesture alone is insufficient to address the depth of their loss.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile, Dr. Mahama said the state must acknowledge the gravity of the tragedy by providing direct support to the families of the six young women who died during the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) recruitment exercise.
“With the greatest of respect, the President will have to do more. For all you know, that is someone’s only daughter, so who are you going to replace the daughter with? There must be some other form of compensation, directly to the people who have been affected,” he said.
He stressed that the emotional toll on the bereaved families cannot be eased by merely replacing applicants in the recruitment process.
“It’s a shame for those families. They would have preferred to have their daughters be unemployed than have a job without their child,” he added.
Dr. Mahama noted that while no amount of compensation can restore the lives lost, the government has a responsibility to offer tangible support that reflects empathy and accountability.
According to him, such assistance would “provide solace and demonstrate that the state acknowledges and supports families in their difficult times.”
His comments follow a government directive asking families of the deceased to submit the names of qualified relatives for automatic recruitment into the GAF.
The directive was disclosed by Deputy Defence Minister Ernest Brogya Genfi during a visit to one of the bereaved families at Eyan Maim in the Central Region.
He said President John Dramani Mahama had instructed that each affected family receive a slot in the Armed Forces as a gesture of support.
