The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has cautioned organisations to desist from making national service personnel errand boys and girls.According to him, some service personnel do not have chairs to sit on and are sent to purchase roasted plantain, locally known as ‘Kofi Brokeman.’
The former Member of Parliament for Nadowli/Kaleo, Alban Bagbin, was speaking at the launch of the 50th anniversary of the National Service Scheme, held at the University of Professional Studies, Accra.
The Speaker was worried that that “critical” year for the development of personnel is wasted by some organisations that fail to mold the personnel deployed to their outfits.
His remarks received resounding applause from the national service personnel of the scheme, who formed the majority of the participants at the ceremony.
“But I want to plead with my brothers and sisters, who are leaders in various public institutions and private sector organisations not to turn service personnel into messengers, errand boys and girls. Please don’t be sending them to buy you ‘Kofi Brokeman’ (roasted plantains). It is a very critical year for their development. Don’t waste it,” he said.
He continued that, “many of them don’t even have a place to sit, and they loiter around, and people treat them with contempt. These are lovely souls that have been sent into your hands. And that one year is meant for you to mold the person. We are now in a global village – a very competitive village.
“The national service personnel that we have today, and they have shown through their work in various institutions that in spite of the skeletal digital infrastructure in this country, our youth have at national competitions come first in the whole world.
You can recall the number of times our students have won the first position in robotics in the world competition, and so after that, they are asked to come and serve the nation for just one year, acclimatise and be the unique Ghanaians that we are. Then you turn them into errand boys and girls. The girls will be lucky if they are not violated.”
CALL
He added his voice to the call that for the national service scheme to be properly repositioned and be sustainable, it should be integrated into development strategies and resourced well.
He further added that the thrust of the scheme should synchronise with the vision of the country and its long-term development goals.
“We must offer service and offer the youth the opportunities in key areas that can anchor sustainable development in our nation,” he opined. He mentioned the area of environmental conservation.
While urging the scheme to collaborate with more organisations, he also assured the scheme that Parliament would continue to be with them.
NSS TRANSFORMATION
The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said in his address that the comprehensive transformation agenda being embarked upon by the National Service Scheme, which is tied to the new strategic direction of other pro-youth agencies, is addressing the specific employment needs of young people.
This youth-driven transformation agenda, according to him, relates primarily to training and skill development, the provision of pre-employment support activities, as well as instilling the values of civic responsibility, discipline, nationalism, and volunteerism.
“Several youth development programmes have been put in place, which not only prioritise young adults’ needs and build the skills needed to become productive and successful members of society, but also strengthen young people’s sense of identity and belief in the future.”
Citing the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), the Ghana Enterprises Agency’s (GEA) YouStartProgramme, and the Commission for Technical and Vocational Educational and Training (CTVET), he said, “My government, since 2017, has engaged young people, including National Service Personnel, in intentional, productive, and constructive ways, whilst recognizing and enhancing their strengths.”
Under the Economic Enclave Programme, for example, President Akufo-Addo noted that the NSS will, in the next four years, in the agriculture sector, deploy 65,000 graduate youth to the Agricultural Enclaves, create 81,000 jobs in agriculture and its allied sectors, and develop 20,000 hectares of land for production, in addition to the production of 110,000 metric tons of food and 1.5 million birds.
This, he said, will result in the generation of revenue of some US$92 million by year four.
PERSPECTIVE
Representing the Chief Justice, Getrude Tokoorno, Justice Novisi Efua Aryene indicated that there should be no end to national service.
She explained that love for the nation should “not be switched on and off,” adding that once impacted, national service should be a continuous process.
“The spirit of nationalism, service and volunteerism instilled in national service personnel should remain with every citizen long after the mandatory one-year work done with the scheme,” she asserted.
