I don't know whether Bawumia did his national service or not – Aide

The spokesperson for the New Patriotic Party's flagbearer, Dr. Gideon Boako has stated that he has no idea if Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia did his mandatory national service after completing his university education.

According to Gideon Boako who doubles as the economic adviser for the vice president, the status of Bawumia’s national service is irrelevant to him.

During a national address on February 7, 2024, Bawumia outlined his vision if elected president, promising to make National Service optional for graduates seeking immediate employment post-tertiary education.

He argued that the current national service scheme requires adjustments to better align with the job market demands for graduates.

However, this proposition has triggered widespread outrage, with critics expressing concerns that such a move could potentially foster corruption.

Notably, Vincent Kuagbenu, a former Executive Director of the National Service Scheme (NSS), accused Dr. Bawumia of advocating for the optional nature of NSS due to his alleged failure to complete his mandatory national service.

In response to these claims, Gideon Boako defended his boss emphasizing that it is not a crime to skip national service.

Speaking in an interview on Citi News on February 9, 2024, he stated "Whether he did National Service or not, I don't know, and I'm not interested in knowing that.

"It is not everybody in this country who did National Service. In fact, today, it is not everybody who does National Service,” citinewsroom.com quoted him.

Boako further explained that certain circumstances allow for the waiver of national service, adding, "There are people who don't do National Service but under certain circumstances, it is waived for them.

"It is not a crime to say you haven't done National Service. If the authorities consider the precedent and the prevailing conditions and they think they have to waive it for you, it happens," he added.

AM/SARA

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ASP Benjamin Agordzo speaks to GhanaWeb TV on The Lowdown