Junior ratings in the Ghana Navy at the Western Naval Command in Sekondi face serious accommodation problems. They pay their own rent and other utility bills.
They feel neglected and uncared for as compared with their counterparts in the army who are well-housed and their utility and housing needs are catered for by the state.
The naval ratings who live at various parts of the metropolis because they were not provided with accommodation after passing out, use part of their meager salaries to rent their own apartments, and pay their own utility bills.
This is in contravention of their service regulations which state that they should be accommodated and fed for three years, after which apartments will be allocated to them.
The ratings are not at a barracks, therefore, in case of emergency it is difficult to mobilise men for assignment. The land which the naval authorities acquired to build a barracks near Shama has been taken back by the chiefs because the government has not paid compensation.
The situation is creating so much tension as the ratings do not have the peace of mind to work. Interestingly, they hardly patronise the services at the junior ratings mess at Sekondi; therefore, it has been allocated to a private person to manage.
Last year, due to the lack of accommodation, the navy did not recruit freshmen. Some of the juniors have accommodation in an area as far as Beposo which is about 30 kilometers away, and have to commute every day in their uniforms to and from their base in Sekondi by public transport .
This reporter learnt about the plight of the junior ratings at a bus station when a parent who had visited the son for the first time only realised that he accomodation was not given and that he was living in one of the deprived communities in the metropolis.
The woman who was talking to somebody, spoke to the Daily Graphic and pleaded anonymity in order not expose the son, said she had regretted encouraging the son to join the army.
“I have love to see the military in their uniforms and when my son passed out it was joy for me and my family, even though before he joined the military we were not having a place of our own, at least we are better, where my son sleeps is dirty, no toilet, water and its very muddy,” the concerned mother has said.
She explained further that, anytime they want to come and visit the son, he told them that he would be on duty, not knowing that it was because he did not have accommodation.
Daily Graphic investigations revealed that many took loans to rent accommodation to ensure that they got to work on time.
Only a few of them were accommodated at 2BN at Apremdo where they are two to a room.
That aside those who have found accommodation in Sekondi/Takoradi are always having problems with their landlords over rent, water and electricity.
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