By Daniel Bampoe
Parliament was thrown into a somber mood on Wednesday when the Minority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament (MP) for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, called for the immediate suspension of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) recruitment exercise following the tragic stampede at the El-Wak Sports Stadium that claimed several lives.
Addressing the House in an emotional statement, Frank Annoh-Dompreh described the incident — which has so far left six confirmed dead and several others critically injured — as a national tragedy that demands swift action from both the Executive and the Legislature.
“This is no small matter to shelve,” he said, adding that Parliament must act with urgency to “restore hope in our people even in this time of grief.”
The Minority Chief Whip cited reports suggesting that the death toll could rise to twelve, as some victims remain in critical condition at the 37 Military Hospital.
He lamented that such incidents have become a recurring theme in Ghana’s public recruitment exercises and blamed institutional complacency and poor planning for the needless loss of lives.
“This is not merely a tragic accident,” he stressed, “it is a profound and systemic failure — an indictment of a system that has lost its effectiveness.”
Frank Annoh-Dompreh therefore called on the Ministry of Defence to immediately suspend the ongoing recruitment process and appear before Parliament to brief the nation on the safety measures being implemented to prevent similar disasters in the future. He also urged the Ghana Armed Forces to decentralize the recruitment process, allowing regional screening centres to handle applicants instead of concentrating thousands of hopeful youth in Accra.
According to him, decentralization would not only reduce congestion at recruitment venues but also minimize the travel risks faced by applicants journeying from distant regions in search of opportunity.
“We must act immediately to resolve the risks associated with such recruitment processes which have lingered for too long,” he told the House.
In a passionate reflection, Hon. Annoh-Dompreh quoted Shakespeare’s The Tempest: “We are such stuff as dreams are made on: and our little life is rounded with a sleep.”
He said the victims were young dreamers who only sought to serve their country but met their untimely deaths in pursuit of that dream.
“They were once among thousands of Ghanaians waiting for the opportunity to join the Ghana Armed Forces but met their fate in such an unfortunate event,” he said mournfully.
The Nsawam-Adoagyiri legislator emphasized that his call was not meant to indict the Armed Forces or any state agency but to protect future applicants and restore confidence in public recruitment systems.
“Let it not be said that we looked on with heavy hearts and folded arms,” he warned.
Frank Annoh-Dompreh’s statement adds to growing calls from civil society, policy experts, and citizens for a total review of the public recruitment systems following the El-Wak disaster.
Earlier in the day, President John Dramani Mahama visited the victims at the 37 Military Hospital, while the think tank CUTS International called for amendments to the Public Order Act to include crowd safety regulations at public gatherings.
The El-Wak tragedy, which occurred on the morning of Wednesday, November 12, 2025, has reignited national debate about youth unemployment, poor institutional preparedness, and crowd management failures during large public events.
