The Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, Alhaji Awudu Yiremea, has appealed to Ghanaians to ignore the vile propaganda being peddled about the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) and to embrace it wholeheartedly.
He said the policy is one of the best initiatives being undertaken by the government to solve the problem of youth unemployment.
He debunked claims by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) that the Community Protection Corps under the NYEP is to enable the New Patriotic Party (NPP) rig the 2008 elections.
The deputy regional minister said this when he addressed the graduation ceremony for the second batch of about 71 youth recruited under the Protection Corps programme at the Pwalugu Police Training School after a four-week intensive training. The latest batch of trainees brings the number so far trained under the programme to 300 in the northern sector.
The first batch of 230 passed out a month ago.
The National Coordinator of the programme, Leo Kaba, warned members of the unit that "on no occasion should they pose or put themselves up as regular police officers. Your main duty is to supplement the efforts of the police to protect life and property within communities", he said and asked them to comply with police directives.
Mr. Kaba advised them to work hard and avail themselves of any opportunities to enlist into the Ghana Police Service if they wished to do so.
He said anyone found to have misconducted himself in the course of duty will be dismissed.
