Deputy National Youth Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Edem Agbana, has lamented the state of national service personnel with respect to their allowances.
Mr Agbana revealed that service personnel are compelled to borrow to fulfil service demands and meet their needs. He revealed that a significant part of the allowances paid to service personnel are expended on transport, accommodation, food, utility bills, among others.
“Consequently, many service personnel exhaust their allowances even before they are due for the next and are compelled to borrow to fulfil service demands and meet their needs. The net impact is that service personnel are burdened with debt before the expiration of their service tenure.”
Edem Agbana
Describing their situation as disquieting, Mr Agbana highlighted the “worsening condition” of National Service Personnel in the country. He explained that since the promulgation of the National Service Scheme Act 428 in 1980, millions of students have accepted the national service legal culture by discharging their service obligations to the state.
The NDC youth organizer noted that the very act of NSPs availing themselves for service in defiance of harsh economic conditions represents the height of patriotism which deserves commendation and support from government.
“Mr President, successive governments have demonstrated shared commitment to upholding the national service tradition and improving the allowance regime for service personnel.”
Edem Agbana
Upward adjustment of NSP allowances
Since the upward adjustment of GHC559 per month was given in 2016, Mr Agbana stated that there has been no demonstrable effort to scale up the allowance in a manner commensurate with economic realities. He further underscored that, a monthly allowance of about $43, being the equivalent of GHC559, is unsustainable as the value of the cedi plummets against rising cost of living.
“Your excellency, there can be no doubt that the country is facing unprecedented economic challenges. This is evidenced by the rising inflationary pressures on basic food supplies, fuel and transport, the depreciation in the value of our local currency and the ripple effect these have on other vital sectors of the economy. For the young people of this country, national service personnel in particular, there seem to be no end in sight as they reel under the pangs of the economic hardship.”
Edem Agbana
Owing to the rising cost of living, Mr Agbana expressed the need for the President to increase allowances for service personnel. He called on government to “match the enthusiasm and hard work” of national service personnel with improved allowance packages to cushion them and enable them navigate these hard economic times.
“This is the most opportune time that the state must come through for its teeming and questing young people. This is when the state should extend its kind and protective hands towards young people who are eager to contribute their quota to national development. For in seeking to engender greater commitment to the national service tradition and consolidate its gains, we should seek to explore and institute better and more reality driven remuneration packages that value the efforts of service personnel.”
Edem Agbana
In the spirit of goodwill, Mr Agbana urged the President to demonstrate “sensitivity and urgency” to the matter and ensure an upward adjustment in the allowances for national service personnel.
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