A renewed public debate over how Ghana should support families affected by the El-Wak recruitment tragedy has prompted private legal practitioner and activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor to strongly reject proposals that the bereaved be offered automatic entry into the Ghana Armed Forces. He argues that such suggestions, though well-intentioned, threaten constitutional principles and the integrity of the military.
In a lengthy Facebook writeup posted on November 16, 2025, Barker-Vormawor shared deep sympathy for the young recruits who died and reminded the public that he has consistently criticised what he labeled the military command’s “murderous tomfoolery” and negligence. Yet he insisted that no amount of grief should pressure the state into compromising institutional standards.
According to him, Ghana owes the affected families meaningful support, but not at the cost of weakening public structures. He explained that the Constitution envisions institutions as serving the public interest rather than functioning as channels for compensatory gestures or acts of remembrance. In his view, recruitment into the Armed Forces must remain anchored in competence, training criteria, and national security needs.
“Recruitment into the Armed Forces is not a memorial gift nor a welfare package,” he said, arguing that emotional responses cannot drive policy in a security institution where discipline and preparedness are paramount.
Barker-Vormawor also warned that offering priority recruitment to grieving families would mirror the widely criticised ‘protocol’ system, a political practice he said is often denied publicly but quietly accepted behind the scenes. Extending such a pattern to the military, he cautioned, risks turning the service into an institution shaped by hereditary entitlement.
He noted that similar demands have already resurfaced from families of victims of past military helicopter crashes, illustrating how easily a single concession could establish a precedent for future claims. Such a trend, he argued, would reduce national tragedies to opportunities for recruitment negotiations. He added that the El-Wak incident has already revived such appeals.
Anchoring his position in constitutional law, Barker-Vormawor cited Article 296, which requires that all discretionary decisions be exercised with fairness and consistency. Granting preferential access to one group in the wake of tragedy, he suggested, would violate equality before the law and introduce arbitrary bias into an institution that must remain neutral.
Beyond the legal implications, he pointed to serious operational concerns. Any shift away from merit-based enlistment, he argued, undermines the discipline, cohesion, and mission-readiness of the Armed Forces. “The military is the one institution that cannot afford sentimental policymaking,” he stressed.
Instead of altering recruitment pathways, Barker-Vormawor proposed a different approach: transparent compensation, psychological support for families, an honest accounting of what happened at El-Wak, and reforms to prevent similar failures.
As a more dignified alternative to automatic enlistment, he recommended honouring the deceased with symbolic recognition, suggesting they be accorded honorary posthumous enlistment and receive ceremonial honours akin to those given to cadets of the Ghana Military Academy.
He ended his post, stating that Ghana must respond to the El-Wak tragedy in a way that strengthens institutional credibility and respects constitutional order. For him, the most meaningful tribute to the victims is ensuring that such a catastrophe never repeats itself.
