The Member of Parliament for Bolga Central and Chairman of the Finance Committee, Isaac Adongo, has criticised the government’s failure to learn from past tragedies following the deadly stampede at El-Wak Stadium during a military recruitment exercise. The incident claimed six lives and left several others critically injured, raising urgent questions about Ghana’s preparedness for large-scale events.
Speaking on Joy News’ Newsfile programme, Mr. Adongo described the tragedy as a national disaster. He extended condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.
However, he emphasized that the country has consistently failed to reflect on past incidents and adopt lessons that could prevent similar occurrences.
Mr. Adongo highlighted that, globally, recruitment exercises include stages for evaluation and reflection to improve planning and execution. He expressed surprise that Ghana’s military, an institution regarded for discipline and project management—lacks proper mechanisms to assess and learn from such events.
“If the military, as one of the best institutions for planning and executing projects, does not have an evaluation mechanism, then I will be surprised,” he said.
The MP further argued that previous recruitment exercises involved even larger numbers of applicants without incident. He blamed Ghana’s reliance on luck rather than learning from experience, calling it a weakness that extends beyond the military.
Mr. Adongo urged the government and institutions to shift their mindset, implement proper evaluation measures, and prioritise learning from each exercise to improve public safety and accountability.
