The Member of Parliament for Central Tongu, Joe Gidisu is calling for the immediate dismissal of the coordinator for the Youth Employment Programme in the North Tongu District.

Joe Gidisu is also seeking the dismissal of the assemblyman for Adidome for what he describes as dishonesty towards the entire scheme in the district.

The call comes after Joy News investigations established widespread extortion of money in the district from prospective job seekers.

The district coordinator of the Youth Employment Programme is alleged to be behind the extortion of job seekers in about four areas in the district including Mafi Avakpedome, Juapong, Mafi Kumase and Adidome.

According to the Central Tongu MP, both the district coordinator and the assembly member have grossly the administration of the Youth Employment Programme in the area.

Joe Gidisu claims NPP activists headed by the two were directly behind the extortion of monies from the prospective job seekers and as such must be dealt with without any further delays.

“What is also disheartening is the fact that the newly elected assemblyman for Adidome electoral area, that he has been involved in collecting money from people who are already unemployed.

“And on the day of inaugurating the North Tongu district assembly, the District Chief Executive openly said that they were going to use the newly elected assembly member for Adidome as the taskforce coordinator to the mobilization of revenue in the district, and this man right from day one ... has been very untransparent in his dealings. How can he continue to be an assemblyman let alone the taskforce coordinator that the DCE was aiming to make him?”

The NDC MP told Joy News that the programme in the North Tongu District had been heavily politicized with sympathizers of the ruling party favoured in the recruitment drive.

“Right down from the District Coordinator of the Employment Taskforce is an activist of the NPP and all the zonal coordinators as well as people who had been associated with the programme were NPP activists. The two constituencies are predominantly NDC and you want to use NPP as a yardstick to measure patronage then you will not be reaching out to the majority of the people in the constituency.”

Mr. Gidisu said the NPP members were using the programme to project the image of the party in the district rather than sticking to its main aim of providing jobs for young people irrespective of the person’s party leanings.

Mr. Gidisu also claims that some technocrats in the district were helping the front liners of the programme in what he called their nefarious deeds.

“I want to put on record that the director admitted signing over 800 blank sheets and gave it to the employment taskforce which confirms the legitimacy of the whole process. We shall support the government to make sure that the programme succeeds but we shall not support any sinister motive.”

Last week, a deputy Minister of Employment, Manpower Development, and Youth, Dr. Brempong Yeboah, said investigations into the complaints were underway and that government would soon come out with a response.

However Mr. Gidisu said that process should be stepped up to save the programme in the North Tongu District.