The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has urged Parliament to compel the Minister for the Interior, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, to appear before the House and provide a detailed update on the ongoing recruitment into the security services.

His call follows a directive by John Dramani Mahama to significantly expand enlistment, with plans to increase intake from 20,000 to 40,000 personnel over the next four years. The move is aimed at bolstering national security while creating job opportunities for the youth.

Contributing to discussions in Parliament on March 16, Mr Afenyo-Markin argued that merely scaling up recruitment numbers would not resolve underlying concerns about the process. He insisted that lawmakers must be fully briefed on the safeguards in place to guarantee openness, equity, and accountability.

He also reminded the House that the Majority Chief Whip had earlier assured members that the Interior Minister would be invited to brief Parliament on the exercise.

According to him, engagements held exclusively at the Jubilee House do not provide sufficient oversight, stressing the need for a formal appearance before Parliament.

“We’ve seen a statement issued by the Minister for Government Communication talking about an increase in the number from 5,000 to 10,000 every year. Mr Speaker, that does not address the core concerns, Mr Speaker, we don’t want this to be treated the way they treated the cocoa haircut, where the Finance Minister announced a decision without proper consultation. The people’s representatives must be properly briefed, especially when this recruitment affects our own constituents, This recruitment thing, we shouldn’t take it for granted. The Minister must brief us,”