The Ghana Immigration Service has hit back at social commentator, Kevin Taylor, describing him as naïve following his comments about an alleged recruitment scandal at the Service.
The tabloid journalist in one of his online broadcasts accused GIS leadership of cronyism and nepotism during recent recruitments into the Service.
However, in a sharp rebuttal, the Head of Public Affairs at the GIS, Superintendent Michale Amoako-Atta, has said in a press statement that the allegations were unfounded and exposes Mr Taylor’s naivety about GIS operations.
The statement said Mr Taylor lacked “professional judgement in seeking to cross-check his facts before going public.”
READ ALSO: Immigration officers intercept Indian Hemp at Logba
The GIS is convinced that the social commentator is up to mischief.
“What Kelvin Taylor and his likes want, is that we should sit [down] for the threat of terrorism to hit us in the face and then turn around and accuse the Government and the Immigration Service for not doing anything to protect Ghanaians and our borders.
“We are resolved within our mandate to deliver excellence in security and migration management for national development,” the statement from the GIS said.
Read the full statement below.
RE: KELVIN TAYLOR ON THE IMMIGRATION RECRUIT SCAM
The attention of the Ghana Immigration Service has been drawn to a video making the rounds on social media purportedly from one Kelvin Taylor making wild accusations against the Comptroller-General of Immigration and also about the GIS recruitment process.
Management would like to set the records straight since the author of this video seems to be naive about the true state of affairs at the GIS. His lack of professional judgement in seeking to cross-check his facts before going public shows the mischievous agenda he and his faceless sources want to pun on the general public.
- Under Section 3(a) and (b) of Immigration Service Act, 2016, ACT 908, the GIS is mandated to ensure the effective administration and management of migration in the country and also to contribute to national security.
- In furtherance of this mandate, the President in June of 2021 launched the Ghana National Security Strategy. In this document the GIS was given a responsibility of coming out with a comprehensive Land National Border Security Strategy to strengthen land border security and to prevent possible terrorist attacks and the entry of members of criminal networks who engage in illegal activities including drug trafficking, arms trafficking, trafficking in persons and illicit goods.
- As a sequel to this, government directed the GIS and other security agencies to submit a Four Year recruitment and logistical plan with supporting budget for considerations and approval which was subsequently approved by Government.
- It is also a matter of public record that facilities at the Immigration Service Academy and Training School (ISATS) have seen major improvement since the coming into office of the current Comptroller- General, Kwame Asuah Takyi.
- ISATS today can boost of a state of the art 300 sitting capacity Lecture Theater, 221 bed hostel and a 3600m2 drill square which can sit about a thousand visitors all at the Academy. At the Training School a new 300 bed capacity female dormitory has been put up, an expansion of the GIS Clinic at the Training School has also been completed and in use.
- All these has led to increase in GIS recruitment levels from 300 to over 2000 today which is in line with our recruitment and logistical plan (2020 – 2024) to recruit about 8000 more officers between 2020 to 2024 to beef up our border patrol unit and make the borders of Ghana more secured as directed by HE the President and in line with the GIS Land National Border Security Strategy.
- Government’s plan of ensuring that Ghana is free from the threat of terrorism is given impetus under the current recruitment drive unprecedented in the history of the Service.
- The Comptroller-General is not on contract nor has he reached his retirement age. It is therefore not true that he is fighting hard to cling on to power. Even the detractors of the Comptroller-General know very well that he is hardworking, discipline, time conscious and committed to the cause of making the GIS a formidable security institution.
- It is not surprising that today the Service has become the first choice of most job seekers. It is through the hard work and visionary leadership of the Comptroller-General.
- Party or tribal affiliation is not part of the requirements for enlistment into the Service. Therefore, it is not true that a particular ethnic group was given preferential treatment over others during the last recruitment exercise and the records are there for anyone to cross check.
- Again in furtherance of achieving the objectives of the GIS Four Years Recruitment and Logistical Plan, a 900-capacity recruit’s training school at Tepa, is about 90% complete with financial support from the Government as a mid-country training school and likely to be commissioned in the first week of March to make room for increased levels in our recruitment drive.
- Furthermore, currently ongoing in Kyebi is the establishment of the Immigration Tactical and Counter Terrorism School to give post basic training exercise in counter terrorism to our officers on a 206 acres of land.
- Living in tents is part of our training regime and practical work life. If you go to most of our unapproved points our officers live in tents to protect the territorial integrity of the country. What we expect from people like Kelvin Taylor is to commend our officers for putting their lives at the stakes in manning our borders than to say things that will break the morale of officers.
- This is not the first time in the history of the Service that recruits have been put in tents during training. These tents and camp beds came with a high cost which was borne by the Government.
- Gone are the days when the GIS could not recruit and train more than 300 cadets and recruits because of the lack of facilities at the Academy and Training School which placed a big challenge in the execution of our mandate.
- Today, thanks to the vision of the Comptroller-General, the Immigration Service Academy and Training School, (ISATS) has seen massive facelift in infrastructure unprecedented in the history of the Service.
- What Kelvin Taylor and his likes want, is that we should sit done for the threat of terrorism to hit us in the face and then turn around and accuse the Government and the Immigration Service for not doing anything to protect Ghanaians and our borders.
We are resolved within our mandate to deliver excellence in security and migration management for national development.
SGD.
SUPT. MICHAEL AMOAKO-ATTA
HEAD OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Tel: 0555027024
Email: mikesbridge2020@yahoo.com