Johnson Asiedu Nketia, National Chairman of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), has sparked a heated debate following biting comments regarding the thousands of youth who failed to secure spots in the recent security services recruitment drive.
Speaking during a stop on his national “Thank You” tour, the veteran politician popularly known as “General Mosquito” questioned the logic of attempting to absorb every applicant into the nation’s security apparatus, citing both economic and practical constraints.
The “Arrest” Comment
Addressing a crowd of party faithful and locals, Nketia took a jab at the high volume of applications, mockingly questioning the necessity of such a massive force.
”If we recruit all these 500,000 youth into the security services, who are they going to arrest?” Nketia asked, drawing laughter from some sections of the crowd.
The remark was directed at the massive surge in applications through various recruitment portals, which saw hundreds of thousands of young Ghanaians vying for a limited number of slots in the Police, Immigration, Fire, and Prison services.
Beyond the sarcasm, General Mosquito pivoted to a more somber economic argument.
He stated bluntly that the government lacks the financial strength to sustain such a massive expansion of the public payroll.
Mr. Nketia emphasized that the wage bill for 500,000 new officers would cripple the national economy.
He noted that the country currently lacks the training facilities and equipment required to transform such a large number of civilians into professional service members.
While many disqualified applicants have expressed frustration and allegations of bias, Mr. Nketia suggested that the high rejection rate is an inevitable result of the government’s inability to pay.
The Chairman’s comments have not been received well by all.
Critics argue that “mocking” the unemployed youth is insensitive, given the current economic climate and the high rate of youth unemployment in Ghana.
Social media reactions have been swift, with many young Ghanaians expressing disappointment that their aspirations to serve the country were being used as a rhetorical punchline.
By 1960news.com
