Irate NDC youth takeover NHIS office in Zabzugu

Angry NDC supporters demonstrating at the Electoral Commission office during the 2008 general election Rampaging youth of the National Democratic Congress in the Zabzugu constituency in the Northern region on Tuesday forcibly took over the offices of the National Health Insurance Scheme in the area. The irate youth allegedly chased out the scheme manager on suspicion that he is loyal to the New Patriotic Party. Citi FM’s Northern Regional correspondent said Mr Abubakari feels threatened by the action of irate youth and has gone into hiding. Some of the workers of the scheme were said to have been manhandled prior to the takeover, but the reporter could not tell the extent of injuries sustained. The youth have since the coming into power of the National Democratic Congress made several attempts to seize the office, accusing the government of not providing them with jobs. It is unclear what the police and handlers of the National Health Insurance Scheme will do in the Rambo style takeover. Meanwhile in the Ashanti Region, members of the New Patriotic Party are accusing Abuga Pele, National Coordinator of the NYEP of plotting to sack perceived New Patriotic Party members employed under the scheme. Abuga Pele had stated that the scheme will make use of an exit plan embedded in the National Youth Employment Programme which stipulates that appointees of the programme (health assistants) placed under the NHIS will exit after two years of appointment. But the beneficiaries claim no such agreement was entered into at the time they were given the appointment. They accuse the National coordinator of deliberately exploiting this policy to get rid of them. The Regional Youth organiser of the NPP in the Ashanti region said the government must not pretend to be providing jobs to Ghanaians by sacking others who, whether real or perceived, are members of the NPP. Rather the government must widen the scope of the programme by employing more Ghanaians, he noted. If the NPP, whilst in power introduced the Zoomlion programme to employ Ghanaians, the new administration can also establish a zoomtiger to employ Ghanaians, he chided. Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana