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Youth unemployment threat to national security
● Unemployment is a national threat
“We are experiencing violence and murders in the country because young people these days are capitalising on lack of jobs to do all manner of things: ritual activities, theft, robberies among other crimes. They are just ready to do anything for money.”
Mr. James Baba Anabiga, Speaker of Upper West Youth Parliament said this recently on the sidelines of a Research Dissemination Meeting at Wa which was under theme ”Wa Killings, Lapses and The Way Forward.”
He said although most young people in the country were faced with issues of unemployment, some of them had used that as an avenue to engage in all sort of illegalities and always gave the excuse that there were no jobs in the country.
The study was launched to assess the role of some stakeholders in resolving the mysteries behind the recent murders and disappearance of persons, particularly private security men in the region.
The Wa Municipality was recently trending for the consistent murder and alleged disappearance of 10 persons in separate incidents with seven of them being security guards (night watchmen) between April and September this year.
“It is important to state that the increasing rate of youth unemployment in the country cannot be ruled out in the current sad security situation in the Wa Municipality and the country at large”, he said.
The Speaker was of the view that regardless of the unemployment status of the youth in the country, the law would deal with any of them who was caught in any act of illegality, and advised them to abstain from the temptation of resorting to dubious means to make ends meet.
“I wish to advise the youth to get something to do, no matter how little, and avoid the habit of falling for engagements which are unlawful because in the long run, the law will not take youth unemployment as an excuse for any misdeed; the culprits will surely suffer whatever penalty due them”, he warned.
He further encouraged the government and other stakeholders to take up youth unemployment seriously because it was national security threat.
From Lydia Darlington Fordjour, Wa
The Member of Parliament for Ofoase Ayirebi, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has disbursed GHS134,000 to 22 students under the latest round of his Scholarship and Bursaries Programme.
According to a statement from his office, the 22 beneficiaries are enrolled in 16 tertiary institutions across the country.
They are studying various courses, including medicine, marketing, law, public health, midwifery, business administration, education, and secretaryship.
The MP’s office commended the beneficiaries, especially the five students currently studying medicine and physician assistantship, encouraging them to remain committed to their studies.
The statement indicated that the scholarship initiative, which began in 2017, aims to support brilliant but needy students from the Ofoase Ayirebi Constituency to further their education. So far, about 700 students have benefited from the program.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Four tricycle operators, popularly known as ‘Pragya’, have been prosecuted and fined GH¢600 each equivalent to 50 penalty units by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) Sanitation Court for obstructing public roads at the Agbogbloshie Market.
The offenders, who were arrested by Public Health Officers of the AMA during a routine enforcement exercise, pleaded guilty to the offence and were subsequently convicted by the court.
The four operators were among the 21 offenders recently arrested at the Agbogbloshie Market for various sanitation and public order violations, including selling on open drains, obstructing walkways, and trading at unauthorised locations.
Speaking after the court proceedings, the Head of Public Health at the AMA, Madam Florence Kuukyi, said the court was lenient with the offenders since it was their first appearance, hence the fine, and warned that subsequent offenders would face stiffer penalties, including imprisonment.
