MPs have hijacked GNFS recruitment for party boys and girls – Senior Officer laments

A senior officer in the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) who has spoken exclusively to MyNewsGh.com on grounds of strict anonymity, has lamented about the interference in the recruitment processes by politicians mostly Members of Parliament (MPs) from the political divide who are fielding party boys and girls literally turning it into ‘job for the boys’

In an interview with this portal, the senior officer whose permission we do not have to name him on record says the service has turned into “job for the boys” making the recruitment process a difficult hurdle to overcome.

He was speaking in reaction to the letter of Mr Edwin Ekow Blankson a Chief Fire Officer asking recruits and cadet staff engaged on attachment to go home until further notice.

“The status quo usually was to recruit and train this young men and women into the service after their training in the Fire School for six months. They were rather recruited and given orientation for one week and deployed to various stations to do attachment”.

He continued “banks were engaged to formalize their mode of payment which they did but after working for four months, they’ve been asked to go home. No one knows if this same persons been sacked will be called back”.

“Firefighting is a risky thing and this people have no knowledge yet you sent them and they came to support the service because the strength of fire fighters in the country is woefully inadequate”. He was of the view that, since this people have been engaged already, government must find means to give them clearance for them to be recruited and paid. “They paid the first, second and third batches but here is a letter asking the fourth batch to go home because there is no money to pay them” which he considers not a fair treatment.

A letter intercepted by MyNewsGh.com last week stated “End of attachment for fourth batch of prospective recruits and cadets”.

The attachment according to our sources was supposed to last for two months after which a letter will be issued to the recruits to proceed to training but this hasn’t been the case after four months of service by the recruits without allowance.