In 2015/16 the NDC administration introduced a module with Youth Employment Agency called Youth In Paid internship where all Graduates were asked to register to get employed with minimum allowance of 600 while the graduates wait for government to work on getting them employed.
It was a happy moment for the graduates in 2016 when they trooped in to register with YEA but unfortunately the NDC government lost the election and all those who were selected by the previous government per Osafo Marfo’s directive got their appointment revoked.
In 2017, the NPP government opened the YEA portal for new registration where preference could be given to their members as asserted by one of the NABCO coordinators.
After the new applicants were recruited and ready for posting the finance Minister announced to Parliament the formation of NABCO which is same as the project the previous government introduced but with a different name.
The people beneficiaries were confused because there was no difference between the Graduates in Paid internship and the NABCO. The only difference is the change of name and the managers because it was previously under YEA until Bawumia ordered for it to be brought under the office of the Vice President.
This brought another battle between Osafo Marfo and Bawumia because the senior Minister suggested that YEA could manage the project without incurring new cost of offices and other running cost but this time Bawumia triumphed over Osafo Marfo and the NABCO came into force.
Just yesterday, one of the NABCO coordinators was accused of taking bribe from the beneficiaries. We are told most of them take 20-40 Ghana Cedis monthly from the beneficiaries for processing of their payments.
When one of the coordinators in Volta Region was contacted he said they take the money from the beneficiaries because since they were employed they have not received a pesewa from government and they have families to take care of hence the silver collection they take from the beneficiaries to survive.
According to him, they have no office and nothing to work with as both Regional and District Coordinators.
The coordinators who spoke on anonymity plead with government to pay their salaries to them before they strike like their beneficiaries once did.
“We are suffering but we can’t voice it out because it is our government that employed us but our families don’t believe us when we tell them we have not been paid,” one of the district coordinators s lamented.
*#Edefu.*
By: Efo Worlanyo Tsekpo