According to Casely-Hayford, he suspects there is a “deliberate attempt to take away the land of the Military by a group of people.”

 

“…this is a scam; it’s a complete scam and we should recognize it for what they are,” he remarked.

 

The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has dismissed allegations that it is selling its land and properties to private individuals after a group of retired army officers raised concerns over the issue.

 

Speaking on Citi FM’s news analysis programme, The Big Issue, Casely-Hayford complained about the level of secrecy the Military is shrouded in.

 

He asked: “As we sit here today, does anybody know how much money we spend on the Military? Their budget is not made public…the Police to some extent but we don’t show how much we are spending on the Military…we don’t have a clue and the money belongs to us; the people of Ghana and as soon as you start getting into that territory, they say it’s a state secret.”

 

He observed that to put the matter to rest, the leadership of GAF should tell citizens “who the PPP arrangements were made with, who the parties are, who the beneficiaries are going to be, and they should tell us exactly what the cost of each property will be…”

 

Casely-Hayford argued that the Military’s attempt to get involved in commerce is a “waste of time; it’s a complete waste of time. That is not why they go to the Military.”

 

He however suggested that the state should “disband the army for several reasons. We don’t need it because I don’t ever recall Ghana going to war with anybody.”

 

Can’t the state take care of the Military?

 

Meanwhile, the President of IMANI Ghana, Franklin Cudjoe has questioned whether the state does not have the resources to cater for the needs of the forces because according to him, this could be the reason they are getting themselves involved in commercial activities.

 

“We probably need to be told whether we do not have money any longer to take care of our military and if it’s the case, we need to have that conversation about whatever assets the army have that could obviously be turned into some significant gain but it must be done in a very fair, transparent and open manner,” he remarked.

 

He warned Ghana must be on guard because Military forces around the world are moving away from commercialization due to its negative repercussions such as political upheavals.

 

According to the IMANI boss, it is understandable that the Military wants to build itself and integrate itself into society “but if you now want to make commercial decisions, you’ve got to be careful and you’ve got to be fair.”