A leading member of the National Democratic Congress, Henry Osei Akoto, has called out the party’s National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah over some recent comments related to employments in the country.
The NDC chairman, Asiedu Nketiah, while addressing some grassroots members recently on recruitments into some of the security services in the country, stated that the process has become very challenging because the youth have been denied opportunities for a long time, creating immense pressure on the government.
According to him, the number of applicants is overwhelming, with about 500,000 people seeking to join the security services when the government can only employ 5,000 due to financial and logistical constraints.
In a lighthearted remark, he said, “About 500,000 people want to join the police. If we employ all of them, where would they find thieves to arrest, since everyone would be in the police service?
“If you are the president and 500,000 people want to join the police, what can you do? Once you issue an appointment letter, you must pay the officer. Looking at our capacity, we can only recruit 5,000. These young people have been denied opportunities for so long, so the pressure is very high.”
But Henry Osei Akoto, who is a former National Organiser aspirant of the National Democratic Congress, in an interview with GhanaWeb, said he is very disappointed in the comments of Asiedu Nketiah.
He explained that the very people looking for jobs, many of whom are supporters of the NDC, should not be spoken to like that.
“After watching that video of Chairman Asiedu Nketiah speaking to the people gathered there, I must say I was very disappointed in him. The reason I say this is because these are the same people we all went to campaign to vigorously before the 2024 general elections. We asked them to vote for the party, and we all know the effort they put in.
“They struggled, they worked hard, and they toiled for the party. Many of them even spent their own money. They are tired now, and today they are simply asking that they be given some kind of job from the government,” he stated.
Osei Akoto further indicated that he finds it troubling that Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, knowing very well that the grassroots are an integral part of their existence, will not apply decorum in the way he responds to matters particularly on employment.
He, therefore, added that if that is how the NDC chairman chooses to addresses pressing matters involving the youth and members of the party, then he should shelve his future political ambitions.
“What I’m saying is that if today they are asking to be given something small, it’s understandable. Some of them have applied for security jobs, such as positions in Immigration or the Police Service, but they are not getting anything.
“There is a proper way to communicate with them about these things. However, the way Chairman Asiedu Nketiah is going about it is not good at all. Personally, I am not happy about it. The approach he took was very bad. If this is how he intends to handle matters, then he should forget about his presidential ambitions because hese are the same people who will eventually vote for him, so if this is the attitude he is going to show them, then he should reconsider those ambitions,” he added.
Henry Osei Akoto also described how pressing the issue of unemployment is, indicating how he personally has to deal with an inundation of callers seeking for employments.
He addended that with such a glaring situation on their hands, there is the need for decorum and tactfulness in addressing matters involving people genuinely seeking for job opportunities.
“Every day, some of us receive no fewer than 50 or 60 phone calls from people asking about jobs. I know he and other party communicators are also receiving similar calls. Many party supporters are still at home and don’t know what to do.
“We are doing our best to ensure their names are submitted and considered, because ultimately it is the government that will make the final decisions. But speaking to the grassroots the way he did is very distressing and discouraging,” he stated.
He, therefore, urged Johnson Asiedu Nketiah to apologize for the comments he made.
“I believe he needs to come out again and apologize to the people. After that, we can move forward. But as things stand, if this is how he plans to deal with the grassroots, then it is not good at all.
“When we first came to power, there were some statements he made that I tried to understand and overlook. But after watching that video several times, I can confidently say that what he said was not good. It was very bad, especially if this is how he intends to treat the grassroots of the party, then he should forget about his presidential ambitions,” he told GhanaWeb.
