Politicization Of The National Service Scheme; Nana Boakye Must Resign Or Be Fired - Concerned National Service Personnel

We, the members of the Concerned National Service Personnel, a group of young Ghanaian graduates currently undertaking our civic and mandatory service to the Nation have noted with great worry and regret, the unfortunate polarization of the National Service Scheme under the current leadership, a development, we find inimical to the very essence and object of the Scheme.

The Ghana National Service Scheme Act, 1980 which set the framework for the establishment of the Scheme in 1973, has as its core objective to encourage the spirit of national service among ALL segments of Ghanaian society in the effort of nation -building through active participation and Promote national unity and strengthen the bonds of common citizenship among Ghanaians. It is therefore, regrettable, the current partisan path on which the Scheme is headed.

We woke up to the sad and unbelievable news of the Official Page of the National Service Scheme been used to congratulate Henry Nana Boakye(Nana B) the deputy director of the national service Scheme in charge of operations on his election as the newly elected Youth Organizer of the governing New Patriotic Party(NPP) in a manner that is unbefitting of a National Institution of state in the just ended NPP National delegates conference, how unfortunate! It is not only sad, but very dangerous for a National Scheme which seeks to encourage the spirit of National service among ALL segments of the society to be reduced to partisan involvement. We note that, they have subsequently pulled it down from their page following social media outcry. We condemn such partisan actions in very strong terms and demand from the National service Secretariat an unqualified public apology for dabbling in partisanship.

Ladies and Gentleman, our fears have been further heightened by information we have picked from the just ended NPP national delegates conference that, Nana B used NSS postings as a bait to cajole various TESCON Presidents who were delegates in the Youth elections to vote for him as the Youth organizer of their party, promising to post them to their "preferred institutions and regions of choice" We, the concerned national service personnel demand an independent investigation into this allegation of vote buying using National service postings as bait since such developments are inimical to the objectives and essence of the Scheme.

Also, we note public comments that have been made by Nana B at a meeting of the Student wing of the NPP(TESCON) in Sarbah dining hall on Legon campus and also at a Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology TESCON meeting to the effect that, He as Deputy Director in charge of operations was going to prioritize serving NPP members(TESCON) first. Such comments by a public official who is expected with a mandate to serve ALL Ghanaians EQUALLY irrespective of their political party inclination is seriously in doubt.

In the wake of the resistance and opposition to the illegal imposition of an Insurance policy on all service persons by the current leadership of the National Service Scheme, Henry Nana Boakye is on record on "Ekosi Sen" on Asempa FM to have described all service personnel opposed to the ill-conceived compulsory Insurance policy as quote "NDC-TEIN small boys" who are been remote controlled to agitate against the illegal Insurance policy. We were later compelled to drag the Secretariat to the High court which eventually got them to abandon the Insurance policy. With such public comments, posture and mindset, Nana B, who is the deputy director of NSS in charge of operations and now doubles as the National Youth organizer of the NPP cannot be trusted to do fair to all manner of Ghanaians across the different divides.

We, the concerned national service personnel are by this, calling for the immediate resignation from office by Henry Nana Boakye as the deputy director of the National service Scheme. We call on the president, His Excellency, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo to give full effect to his commitment to Mobilizing EVERY Ghanaian citizen towards the project of Nation building by immediately terminating the appointment of Nana Boakye, whose public comments and conduct threaten the core objective of the Ghana national service Scheme of encouraging the spirit of national service among ALL segments of Ghanaian society in the effort of nation -building through active participation and Promote national unity and strengthen the bonds of common citizenship among Ghanaians. Thank you.

God continually bless our homeland, Ghana and make her great to create shared Prosperity for ALL.

.......Signed......
Ananpansah, Solomon
Convenor, Concerned National Service Personnel of Ghana