The Member of Parliament for Hohoe North, Prince Jacob Hayibor, has described the National Youth Employment Programme in the Hohoe District as being implemented along partisan lines. He said he submitted the names of eight pupil teachers of schools he had started in parts of his constituency to the district office of the programme but they were rejected and promptly replaced by new staff, adding that that action was a slap in the face of the eight who started the schools. “Recently many people were laid off because they were described as members of the National Democratic Congress,” he lamented. He said: “But this is contrary to the declaration by the Ministry of Local Government that the NYEP is non-partisan." The MP therefore called on the assembly to ensure that the implementation of the programme was fair. The Hohoe District Co-ordinator of NYEP, Hayford Kugblenu, however denied the charge and said roping in the youth from other parties would rather help attract them to the New Patriotic Party. “As a matter of fact, the MP who is making the accusation brought some youths who were roped in,” he stressed. He added that the MP for Hohoe South, Joseph Amenorwode, also brought some youths to be employed and said to show his appreciation for the way the programme was working, the MP promised the office some plastic chairs. According to the co-ordinator, this major farming season, the programme had earmarked to employ about 320 youths with a proposed budget of ¢985 million. He said the programme had also taken on 304 teaching assistants, out of the proposed 520. Mr Kugblenu said 60 health extension workers, made up of 52 females and eight males had also been taken on and had started training. 60 youths and 44 others have been registered for the Community Policing and Trade and Vocation modules but these have not yet started. Source: Daily Graphic