Central Regional Secretary of the National Service Personnel Association (NASPA), Mr. Abraham Ayesu, has chided the rationale behind the nationwide demonstration by “self-styled” national executives of the association which will be taking place today.
According to him, he does not understand why the so-called national executives would stage a demonstration against an innocent government and blame it for not paying their allowance increment, knowing very well they are only victims of the wicked lies of the immediate past government.
Describing the intended demonstration as “Propaganda demonstration,” Mr. Ayesu stated that it was uncalled for and wrong for NASPA to blame President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for not receiving their allowance increment of GH₵599 as promised by former President John Dramani Mahama before he left office.
In a press statement titled: “Know these before you join in the propaganda demonstration on Wednesday,” the regional secretary charged all NASPA members not to fall for the propaganda but rather investigate and come to terms with the true motive behind the planned agenda in order not to be used for some people’s selfish political agenda.
He referred to the current government as innocent, saying its first quarter budget was only handed over to it by his opponent.
“Let’s us rather question John Dramani Mahama and his Finance Minister, Mr. Seth Terkper, for throwing dust into the eyes of the Ghanaian youth. Why did they just mention the increment without budgeting for it?, he charged.
“That increment was done out of pure malice and mischief since it holds no goodwill because reading through the budget, Mr. Terkper presented to Parliament on November 2016, nothing on national service allowance increment,” he added.
The regional secretary pointed out that a petition by the regional executives of the association at their meeting in May last year for adjustment in their monthly allowance was rejected by National Service Secretariat (NSS) management and questioned the former government’s last-minute increment.
“So don’t believe in any press statement that leadership had a hand in an assumed increment. We have no knowledge about a thing,” he said.
Mr. Ayesu disclosed that NASPA does not have any national executives currently as being peddled by the supposed organisers of the demonstration and charged the public to take drastic legal action against anyone who claims to be unless he or she defines the jurisdiction he or she rules over.
He explained that at their meeting in May last year, a petition by regional presidents of the association to management of NSS for an interim committee to be set up to man the affairs of the association at the national level due to the pending election of national officers was sharply turned down.
“The executive director of NSS suggested that before an executive body could be elected, the governing constitution of the association had to be reviewed and that the regional executives in collaboration with the scheme’s legal team would do the draft but everything failed since the regional presidents were not properly assisted in that task,” he noted.
“So if anyone claims to be a national executive, please consider that person to be a fraud,” he emphasised.
He however, stated that notwithstanding the brouhaha over their allowance increment, they will happily embrace such an offer should President Akufo-Addo hear their cry and add it to his second quarter budget for 2017.
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