Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, the Majority Chief Whip, has hit back at Rev John Ntim Fordjour, the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, following his remarks on the enlistment age limit.
Rev Ntim Fordjour labelled the two NDC MPs, Sam George and Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, who called for a review in the age restriction for military enlistment, as an attempt to allow average NDC foot soldiers into the military.
According to him, the NPP will resist every attempt by the NDC to load their overage foot soldiers into the Ghana Armed Forces.
In a social media post, Rev Ntim Fordjour wrote, “Hon Sam George and Hon Dafeamekpor’s call for unqualified overage NDC foot soldiers into the military is a misconceived and misguided populist agenda.
We will resist every attempt by NDC to load their overage foot soldiers into the Ghana Armed Forces. Ghana Armed Forces is not a dumping ground for overage NDC foot soldiers”.
Ntim Fordjour added, “NDC Cabinet Ministers and Parliamentary Leadership must be made to know that it is extremely backward and dangerous to force unqualified people into the military as a reward for party patronage”.
Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor labelled Rev. Ntim Fordjuor’s conclusion on the matter as a lousy one without engaging the issues.
In a social media post, he wrote, “Hon. Rev. Ntim Fordjuor, your conclusion in this matter is a lousy one without engaging the issues”.
He cited that the former NPP government also increased the Maximum Service years from 25 years to 30 years.
He added, “But let me ask you this: as the Ranking Member on the Defence & Interior Committee of Parliament now and as a Deputy Minister of State just last year, when your Npp Govt increased the Maximum Service years for the Other Ranks (Junior Officers) of the Ghana Armed Forces from 25yrs to 30yrs such that now they retire at 60yrs instead of 55yrs, was it to allow average Npp foot Soldiers to remain in the Army? Don’t be so unguarded.
Point is that I have meticulously provided data on how 20 different Armed Forces in other jurisdictions have transitioned and yet maintained military strength”.
Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor further emphasised, “I am only asking that the NPP Policy of having to extend the upper ceiling for years of service for Other Ranks from 25 years to 30 years be also applied to enlarge the ceiling for entry from 25 years to 30 years or more, subject to medical fitness”.
The Majority whip added, “I insist, subject to a medical fitness test though, that what a 25-year-old can do in training at Bundase, a medically fit 26-year-old can do the same or better at Achiase.
I maintain, again subject to a medical fitness clearance, that we have no regulatory or statutory justifications to tell a 26 or a 30-year-old Ghanaian SHS or Technical School Graduate that s/he cannot join the Ghana Armed Forces to perform non-combatant duties like a Cook, Haberdasher, Driver, Bandsman, Mechanic, etc.
So to Hon Ntim Fordjuor and the NPP, it is better to keep 56-60-year-olds in the Army than it is to intake 26-30yrs as Soldiers”.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) announced the commencement of the 2025 enlistment and recruitment across all 16 regional capitals of the country.
The recruitment process has been officially published in state-owned newspapers, including the Daily Graphic and Ghanaian Times.
According to the GAF, the decentralised recruitment is aimed at offering equal opportunity to all eligible applicants, regardless of location.
See the post below:
1. Hon. Rev. Ntim Fordjuor, your conclusion in this matter, is a lousy one without engaging the issues.
— Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, Esq. MP. (@etsedafeamekpor) October 9, 2025
2, But let me ask you this: as the Ranking Member on the Defence & Interior Committee of Parliament now and as a Deputy Minister of State just last year, when your Npp Govt… pic.twitter.com/auvMg0M1qF