Sammy Awuku slams government over rising youth agitations

The National Youth Organiser of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has taken a swipe at the government’s slow nature of handling the unemployment situation in the country.

To this end, he charged the government to, as a matter of urgency, hasten the pace in solving the problem which, he said, has given rise to the recent youth agitations in the country.

According to Mr. Awuku, the teeming unemployed youth were losing their patience thus government must move beyond the “paper talk and create jobs.”

“I want the NPP government to know that the youth voted massively for us, so we must also move beyond just the paper talk when we are solving youth unemployment. I say this because under the previous administration, it was always a fanfare when it was International Youth Day. At least today we are in the open, so we’ve moved from the air-conditioned room at the Conference Centre as it used to be to face the reality under the sun. Today we are faced with big challenges across in terms of our youth. You have growing anxiety, and growing uncertainty. And that is why at the least provocation the youth will either seize something or misbehave,” he said.

He said the process must be expedited because, according to him, while the government cannot fail the youth who voted massively to return the NPP to power, “time is also not on our side.”

Mr. Awuku was speaking at a presidential youth dialogue held at the Osu Castle Gardens, Accra on Friday, August 11, 2017 to herald International Youth Day which fell on Saturday, August 12, 2017.

In attendance were Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, who delivered the keynote address, Youth and Sports Minister, Isaac Asiamah, the Chief Executive of the National Youth Authority (NYA), Emmanuel Asigri, and Madam Erika Goldson, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Acting Country Representative

The outspoken youth leader said “I am convinced that if many of our youth are employed there will be less agitation as the devil always finds work for the idle hands.”

Mr. Awuku explained that since the devil always finds jobs for idle hands, much of the agitations over public facilities and office seizures would not occur if many of the youth were employed.

He noted that some of the big challenges the country was facing was as a result of the growing anxiety and uncertainty among the youth.

He, therefore, urged the government to lead the way in hastening the plans to fulfilling one of the party’s major campaign promises—providing employment for the youth.

“We have nowhere to go…that is why we are running to government to provide jobs for us,” he said.

However, Mr. Awuku condemned some violent actions and demonstrations of the youth across the country at the least provocation.

“It does not make the fight for youth employment and recognition any better; it weakens our fronts when we engage in these activities,” he counselled the youth.

He pleaded with the youth authority to create a formidable platform for regular engagement with the youth.