Reliable information available to the Daily Searchlight indicates that very senior officers in the military have allegedly turned the physical training exercise which makes it mandatory for officers of the Ghana Army to be selected for peacekeeping operations, into a goldmine from which they excavate several thousands of Ghana Cedis.
Soldiers due to peacekeeping operations are required to partake in what is known as Basic Fitness Test (BFT) which involves physical training exercises such push - ups, sit-ups and in addition run a distance of 3.2 kilometers run in a time of seventeen (17) minutes at the Bondase Military Camp.
A source hinted this paper that soldiers who don't make the mark are failed outright without being given a second chance to make amends but sadly their senior's nicodemously negotiates with other younger soldiers and take between fifty and sixty thousand Ghana cedis from them to enable them go.
"Imagine a 50 year old WO who is expected to run a seventeen minutes, my brother how can it be possible," one of the soldiers lamented.
According to some of the officers, it is the desire of most soldiers to go on peace support operations in order to improve upon their economic circumstances, but what their superiors are doing to them can only be described as inhumane and sad, because the need they dollars to care for their families and also to undertake various projects.
It will be recalled that the President of the Republic Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, announced an increase in the allowances of Ghanaian peacekeepers form US$31 to US$35, effective January 2017, in fulfillment of a manifesto pledge of the New Patriotic Party in the run-up to the December 2016 election.
This is in fulfillment of the NPP's pledge of improving the welfare of the Armed Forces. According to the soldiers although they know that fitness is very important in their scope of work, the stake are too high and a swift and immediate action needs to be taken.
Most Soldiers have been diagnosed iof hypertension over the tedious training they are taken through so the mere mention of Bondase Military Camp send shives down their spine; this according to some soldiers was the reason behind the death of five of their colleagues last year.
Source: The Daily Searchlight
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If we keep up this kind of misinformation Ghana will remain in the abyss where it is now. Let me educate this ***barred word*** or better still educated illiterate and his bunch of misguided puppet masters. BFT is a standard fitness test for all military personnel in the world. Every Army in the world conducts BFT. The standards may differ but the test is mandatory for progression in the armed forces. In the Ghana Army BFT is done every quarter in the unit and at least twice when on a course of more than 3 months duration. Have you ever seen a pot bellied American or British soldier? no because they enforce the fitness standards strictly. People are released from these armies because they do not meet or pass the fitness test. BFT is done according to age, no 50 years old will be expected to run 3.2 km in 17 mins. age 47 - 51 are required to do the run in 19.36mins.Please stop portraying your ignorance and get educated before you churn out such ***barred word*** just because you have access to a platform. This is what happens when drop out and ankoschools or better still people who do not make good grades for the university find their way into quack journalism schools. Enlightened Ghanaians should not allow these illiterates to set the agenda for us.
Its unfortunate how civilians think they always know better when it comes to military affairs. A government takes over power and is interested in making politics with issues that border on the security of the nation. At least you need to look out for international best practices before you make campaign promises. The very people who are asking for the retirement age to be increased, are the same guys complaining about the physical fitness tests. How ironic. A soldier who develops hypertension because of physical fitness test is obviously not qualified to serve in the service. what is the essence in keeping overaged soldier in the system when they obviously cannot play the roles assigned to them because of age. Even though peacekeeping has financial dimensions, it is also an operational situation and as such should be treated with utmost caution. situations have changed overnight in mission areas and soldiers have been caught unprepared in the past. We should therefore be very careful when we approach everything with a political interest in mind. A word to the wise is enough.
That is one of the disadvantage of nana addo increasing the retirement age.The military is suppose to be made of young people,people will yake of experience that why there are exceptional soldiers ,young lads who learn fast and and gain experience quickly.The best for a current day soldier is to aquire skill when in the military and move out into civil live before military retirement so that you can blend into civilian society successfully without much difficulty.
Peace support operations are not meant to improve the economic situation of soldiers. It is an international operation involving many countries and is often tedious and demanding. Only those who are fit are selected to undergo these operations. During basic fitness tests, soldiers are tested according to gender and age. The time a 20-year old takes to run the 3.2 km race is far shoreter than the older ones. The ladies also have their criteria.Soldiers have died on operations because they were not fit and the authoriries smuggled them there. If you have hypertension, diabetis, etc, you are failed in the medical exam. These criteria cannot be reduced to accommodate any sick or unfit soldier.
This is what you get when you gather a bunch of retards who couldn't make it in the main stream employment sector and make some lords over others.....Greed laziness and at the end Ghana looeses......because tax payers money goes down the drain
Ghana in itself has failed.......these people are housed free at the barracks......no utility bills and all that they think about is peacekeeping....so that they can go chop sardine and come home with dollars and buy used cars.....can't soldiers be meaningfully engaged in Ghana.... ..what a ***barred word*** hole of a country.