IDDI
MUHAYU-DEEN’S FOLDER
It is an irrefutable fact that the
strength and future prospects of every nation in the world, to a very large
extent, depend on its youthful population, which forms the largest workforce. It
is in the light of this that, issues affecting the youth and their general
well-being remain a topmost priority for all governments here in Africa and
across the globe. However, it doesn’t appear that Ghana belongs to the comity
of nations because evidence on the ground does not suggest that our government
is serious about matters of the youth. It is quite unfathomable to observe that
Ghana, a country that prides itself as the gateway to Africa is rather the
nation that is doing very little in this regard. As a youth activist, I have
decided to bring to the fore, some of the germane issues confronting we the
youth of Ghana on the milestone occasion of the commemoration of International
Youth Day, which is marked globally today (August 12).
Now, more than ever, if you went out
to ask any youth of our country about their number one challenge, they would
surely talk about the prevailing unemployment conundrum, which unfortunately,
continues to get worse every passing moment. In fact, the menacing effect of youth
unemployment is not only a deleterious social canker but also a threat to
national and international security especially on the African continent. It
therefore means that African governments must, as a matter of urgency, confront
this issue with all the alacrity that it deserves before it explodes. If for
nothing at all, the recent uprising in some Arabian countries here in Africa,
otherwise known as the Arab Spring should teach us some relevant lessons that
the youth cannot always be taken for granted.
Inasmuch as I am NOT calling for
youth revolution in Ghana, I am however very saddened and petrified to observe
that the current levels of disillusionment, hopelessness and desperation of the
Ghanaian youth are worse than the conditions that precipitated the infamous
Arab Spring. Not only are we (the youth of Ghana) unable to find jobs to do but
also have our plight aggravated by the prevailing draconian living conditions
in the country under this administration in particular. Unfortunately, President
John Mahama, who claims to be one of us, together with his NDC government
remains clueless and unmoved by the loud cry of the teeming youth of our
country.
It is worth making the point that the
erstwhile NPP government, upon realizing the gravity of this national canker,
implemented, for the first time in the country’s history, a major employment
intervention dubbed, the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) with the
primary aim of arresting the age-long unemployment menace bedevilling the nation.
This laudable programme at the time; provided several job opportunities to
thousands of the teeming youth to work in the various sectors of the Ghanaian
economy to earn a living for themselves and their families.
Fast forward to the current NDC
regime, it is regrettable to note that this hitherto; vibrant employment
enterprise has transmogrified into GYEEDA, which later became arguably, the
most corrupt institution in the country; where several millions of the
taxpayers’ money were siphoned to enrich party apparatchiks and foot soldiers
for no work done. No wonder it became synonymous to corruption, compelling
government to run away from the name, GYEEDA to YEA, which is also fraught with
corruption scandals involving the Labour Minister, Hon Haruna Iddrisu on
alleged diversion of monies meant for the Agency among other issues. The
collapsing state of this major programme has only exacerbated the unemployment
crisis in the country because beneficiaries of this programme are now being
rendered JOBLESS. No wonder crime rate is at all-time high since the devil
always finds jobs for the idle hand.
It is even more pathetic to note that
President Mahama is on record to have said that government has no statistics on
unemployment in the country. So it shouldn’t surprise you that he and his
government appear clueless on how to redress this challenge. How do you expect
a government that has little or no knowledge about the severity of a problem
enact pragmatic policies to redress same? It has always been lies and propaganda
as far as they are concerned. Consistently, we are being fed with DIFFERENT
FIGURES about the number of jobs that government has created over the years by
the president himself as well as some of his appointees including Ministers.
Students, especially those at the
nation’s tertiary institutions (many of whom fall within the youth bracket) are
also not spared by government’s incompetent handling of youth matters. Cost of
education has become so much unbearable for students at all levels. To add
insult to injury, government is also gradually withdrawing all forms of
subsidies (including the age-long subsidies on utilities) at the various levels
of education, especially in the tertiary institutions, whilst at the same time,
imposing taxes on cost of education. Here, mention can be made of the killer
25% corporate tax slapped on private universities. Also, the idea of cost sharing in our schools is fast
paving way for a cost shifting regime
under this government, where students are gradually being compelled to bear the
full cost of their education and training even in the public schools. So I ask,
what at all is government’s obligation as far as the provision of education is
concerned?
Meanwhile, government
is enjoined by the provisions in the 1992 constitution of Ghana under the
Directive Principles of State Policy to make education progressively free up to
the tertiary level so that same is seen as a RIGHT rather than a privilege or
the preserve of the rich. By these provisions, government is supposed to
prioritize investments into the education sector and also make it accessible
and affordable to the ordinary Ghanaian. However, the exact opposite is what we
see today. Many students are now compelled to drop
out of school because they are unable to cope with the prevailing astronomical
fees regime. In the rare occasions, where some students are able to cope
with all these enervating hustles and complete successfully, their woes are not
over yet, as they are churned out into a future of uncertainty and hopelessness
because they can’t find jobs in the economy. Today,
the issue of graduate unemployment is the major worry of students at the
nation’s tertiary institutions especially those in the final year.
This legitimate worry has been
aggravated by government’s unpopular decision to continue with the anti-social
democratic policy of putting a moratorium (freeze) on public sector employment
which was started in 2011. Each year, over 76,000 graduates or national service
personnel are deployed to various institutions for mandatory national service
duties. My major worry is about the
future of these personnel (graduates) after the one year mandatory service
because they cannot be absorbed in the public sector due to this cancerous
policy of the government. If the nation’s graduates cannot find
jobs to do, then what becomes of the ‘less educated’?
Meanwhile, the public sector and for that matter government is supposed to be
the largest employer in the economy. How paradoxical!
Unfortunately,
the private sector, which now becomes our last resort, is also dying because of
the seemingly intractable energy crisis, draconian taxes slapped on businesses
and the collapsing economy leading to several job-cuts every now and then. So
where do the graduates go after national service? The private sector, just like
the public sector, is a “no go area”. No wonder there exists, an Association of
Unemployed Graduates which is now gaining a ‘notorious fame’ under this
government. The infinitesimal percentage of the youth who are lucky to be
offered employment in the public sector face numerous challenges especially in
accessing their monthly salaries. They work for several months and years
without receiving salaries.
And when eventually,
government decides to pay them, often after mounting incessant pressure, they
are paid for JUST 3 MONTHS because of the prevailing government’s policy
(introduced in 2013) not to pay salary arrears beyond 3 months across the
public sector. This of course, is either one of the IMF conditionalities OR a
strategy to steal from the ordinary Ghanaian worker. Sometimes
these workers are often compelled to stage aluta and demonstration before
government attempts to listen to them. Our media landscape is replete with
these disturbing reportages which in fact, do not make news any longer.
From the foregoing, the inevitable
conclusion that can be drawn is that the youth of this country have been
greatly short-changed by our government. I wish to conclude by adding my voice to the countless calls on the
government of President Mahama, our one and only “youthful president” as he
claims, to as a matter urgency, prioritize the concerns of the youth because we
are the only hope and future of this country. We are not asking for a rocket
science for our government, neither are we making any utopian demands from your
government. All we demand of government is to provide us (the youth) an
opportunity to develop our potentials through the provision of affordable and
accessible quality education; an opportunity to work in our country after
obtaining the relevant knowledge and skills, and ultimately, an opportunity to
contribute significantly towards national growth and development for God and
country.
Assalamu
alaikum
This piece was compiled by a
concerned Ghanaian in the business of OCCUPYING HEARTS and MINDS for the love
of God and country.
IDDI MUHAYU-DEEN
Youth Activist/Social Commentator
Former NUGS Secretary
(0245335197)
Please, it is shareable...
No comments:
Post a Comment