Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam Nartey George has revealed that he wanted to join the Ghana Army to enable him follow the footsteps of ex-President Jerry John Rawlings who was once a military ruler.

According to the firebrand politician, he joined the cadet while at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and actually bought the army recruitment forms in 2005 after he graduated.

Speaking on Starr Chat on Starr FM Thursday, Sam George said he was pissed off when the current President, Nana Akufo-Addo then the Minister for Foreign Affairs banned Mr Rawlings from accessing the VIP lounge at the Kotoka International Airport and visiting military installations.

“Growing up, Rawlings was one of my role models, my idol. In fact, my first son (Jeremiah) was named after him, that is how much I adored the man. So, I felt pissed off, so I said I was joining the cadet and when I finish, I was going to enlist in the army to follow Rawlings' footsteps. I was very unpleased with the way he was treated at the time. I thought it was unfair."

“Growing up in Nigeria,…if you live here in Ghana, you don’t understand. Rawlings is seen as a God in Nigeria, held in high esteem. Because the Nigerians had their version of Rawlings in 1979, General Idiagbon who was killed and they thought that Idiagbon was the one who was bringing discipline and started the kind of disciplinary reforms Rawlings started," he said.

You talk to Nigerians about Rawlings and he’s seen as a whole standard. So growing up there, it was a thing of pride. And for me to come to Ghana in 2001 when he had just left power and to see the way he was being treated, as a young boy, 17 or 18 years it really made my blood boil,” the Lawmaker told Host, Bola Ray.

He said he was discouraged from joining the military by his mother after he bought the army recruitment forms.