..... Maj. Gen. Odotei confesses
The concerns raised by the Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama about the increasing number resignations by officers and men of the security services particularly the Ghana Armed Forces was reiterated by the Chief of Army Staff, Major Gen. Samuel Anum Odotei last week Thursday when he paid a working visit to the 66 Artillery Regiment in Ho.

The Commander’s visit was one of the numerous exercises he has embarked upon to visit all military facilities across the country and interact with personnel and their families to acquaint himself with the problems and challenges confronting the service as well as have first hand information from the troops.

Major General Odotei’s main focus at the 66 Artillery Regiment was to commission an Internet Café constructed by the soldiers through their own resources as part of efforts to equip personnel in Information Communication Technology (ICT) skills and also serve the general public in order to generate income for the unit.

Major General Odotei who spoke to the Media after opening the Internet facility mentioned that there were few retirements, resignations and absenteeism without leave in the Ghana Armed Forces. “If we say its not happening then we are underrating the magnitude of the problem but I believe that is not alarming”.

He continued that some of the soldiers were looking for a means of picking up jobs in other institutions and agencies that offered better remuneration and better conditions of service to improve their living standards.

The Army Commander explained that the resignations were triggered by the opportunities available at the United Nations where the UN employed people and offered them good job remuneration, as the first attraction. “I don’t think we can ever compete with the remuneration that the UN offers to its workers”.

Major General Odotei said the terms and conditions of service should be reviewed “in order to help the Armed Forces Command retain the soldiers because if the brain drain was not properly managed, it would definitely affect the Armed Forces and the security of the country”.

The Chief of Army Staff disclosed that Government was committed to improving the conditions under which the military was working since it was crucial in improving the security and lifting up of the moral of the soldiers.

Major General Odotei revealed that the Armed Forces Command had put in place mechanisms to control the level of resignations and urged the soldiers to continue the good work they were doing to uphold and defend the Constitution while the Command also addressed problems confronting the Military.

Earlier, the Army General called on the Volta Regional Minister Samuel Kofi Dzamesi and his Deputy, Joseph Kwaku Nayan. The Minister acknowledged the crucial role the Military was playing in some of the troubled areas in the Region. Mr. Dzamesi pledged the support of the Volta Regional Coordinating Council to ensure a peaceful environment so as to attract the needed investors to take advantage of the economic potential of the Region and thereby improve their living standards.

The Commanding Officer of the 66 Artillery Regiment, LT Col Emmanuel Kotia reiterated that the Military would be convinced if efforts at improving civil-Military relations for a sustainable environment was intensified since that was key for a good democratic dispensation in Ghana.

The Commanding Officer charged the soldiers and their families to take advantage of the Internet Café to allow a free flow of communication among them during peacekeeping missions abroad.

He mentioned that the Military had embarked on a self-empowered income generation venture such us Block works, Mango Plantation and other relevant services to improve the state of the Military in the barracks.