The National Youth Wing of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has condemned President John Mahama for allegedly using the National Security apparatus to cancel an activity to honour Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the party’s flagbearer for the 2012 elections.

In a statement, they pointed out that “On Friday 11th October 2013, a night before he made this statement, John Mahama, through a joint operation of the National Security and the Police, had disbanded an award ceremony in honour of Nana Akufo-Addo by the National Union of Ghana Students.”

NUGS, they explained, took the decision because of “the exemplary leadership and the enormous contribution Nana Akufo-Addo has made to the development of democracy in Ghana and Africa as a whole and to confer on him the ‘Statesman of the Decade” award.

According to them, “Reeling under the ever-soaring popularity of Nana Addo, and causing them great discomfort, they descended heavily on the innocent students and their leadership resulting in some of them sustaining severe injuries and needing medical attention. What a Nana Phobia is this?”

In a statement signed by Emmanuel Attafuah-Danso

National Youth Organizer of the NPP, the youth noted that the NDC government is seeking to interfere in the affairs of groupings such as the TUC, NUGS, NAGRAT and others, noting that “at a time when government has reneged on its constitutional obligations to GETFUND, John Mahama continues to dabble in trivialities.

Six weeks after schools reopened for the commencement of the 2013/2014 academic year, the youth wing noted that “government has failed to provide the basic materials (chalk, textbooks) needed for effective teaching and learning to begin. School heads have gone to ‘ridiculous’ lengths in addressing the situation in their various schools including borrowing these materials on credit and sometimes using their limited personal resources.”

A Deputy Minister of Education, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, they noted, blamed the teachers for reopening schools when they knew there were no teaching and learning materials.

“GNAT and NAGRAT continue to drum home the need for government to address issues surrounding their salaries and wage arrears.”

These, they observed, have accounted for the limited educational opportunities and falling educational standards in the country.

The National Youth Wing of NPP called on the NDC government to concentrate on lessening the plight of Ghanaians and to hands-off NUGS and other pressure groups.

The conduct and posture of John Mahama has become a threat to the youth of Ghana. It comes as no surprise that leading members of the Youth for Mahama, his campaign group during the 2012 elections have labeled John Mahama and his cohorts as vampires sucking the blood and resources of this country thereby disowning him and writing him off as having nothing to offer the Youth of Ghana.

We will continue to throw our support behind the TUC and other groups and encourage them not to relent in their efforts to serve the good people of Ghana, they indicated.