Military Bank Is To Check Ghost Names –CDS

By Pascal KafuAbotsi ([email protected])
The idea behind the establishment of the Military Bank was communicated in error, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Marshall Michael Samson Oje has revealed.

“We realised that there was a communication problem, and we got to know this after there were complaints and tried to find out from the officer in charge, what he told the soldiers.  “When we noticed he did the wrong thing, we then asked him to go back and make the corrections,” Mr Oje said.

The Chronicle reported some time ago that the military leadership had published in its internal newsletter, an order directing at all workers of the Forces to pick forms from the new bank – Service Integrity Saving and Loans Company – and register with it.

The report indicated that workers (both civilians and soldiers) who failed to comply with June 24, 2016 deadline it has set, would not be paid after the Bank of Ghana had consented to the request and granted all the necessary permits for the bank to start operations.

The workers were being forced to transfer their accounts with the various banks to the new GAF bank, for the transaction of their banking businesses.

The Chronicle was informed that because of the 'do before complain' theory in the Armed Forces, all the serving soldiers had been compelled to obey the instruction, in order not to fall victim to any military disciplinary measures.

But Air Marshall Oje told journalists at the International Press Centre in Accra yesterday that, apart from checking ghost names on their pay roll, the military High Command also sought to address the “challenges that confront the soldier at the exit point” informed the establishment of the bank.

He said his outfit, thus came up with a proposal, where deductions of 7.5% of their salaries would be caused into their respective accounts on a monthly basis in order to cure the excesses within the military.  According to the military chief, at the initial stage, eyebrows were raised for which the late President Mills had to step in.

“We were summoned to his office and when we explained the whole thing to him, he was impressed and told us as a tax expert he understood what they could achieve,” he said.  After a year of its existence, Air Marshall Oje stated, the soldiers asked for increment in the deduction to as high as 20% and that had to be accepted after some deliberations.

He also made it clear that although it was mandatory for all soldiers to open an account with their bank, it was only for the purposes of their records and then the money would be transferred to their preferred banks at no cost to them.

“When we own a bank, soldiers can borrow money at cheaper rates,” Air Marshall stated, explaining that they could still borrow from the military bank even if their monies were forwarded to their banks.

Touching on plans ahead of this year’s elections, he mentioned that their role was to support the police and other security agencies to ensure peace and order. He observed that the atmosphere of the campaign was getting higher by the day and that the military was not comfortable with the situation.

“When I watch Good Morning Ghana show and study discussions on social media, the language people use make me feel something. My staff feel it as well; when we meet we discuss some of these things,” Mr Oje remarked.

The military would always be on a stand by and come in when situations are under control, , Air Marshall Oje stated, and assured Ghanaians that appropriate measures would be applied if there were indications chaos could be degenerated.

He thus advised the media to play its role effectively and efficiently without taking political sides so as to maintain the peace in the country.

The President of the Ghana Journalists’ Association (GJA), Mr Affail Monney, was excited a CDS in the history of the military had paid a visit to the executives of the GJA and urged him to live by his word to ensure free and fair election.

“As we inch towards the 2016 elections, let’s offer our best in electoral journalism. When we do this, those who have the mindset that journalists would plunge the country into chaos will have a change of mind,” Mr. Monney said.