Renowned diplomat and statesman K.B. Asante has urged Political Parties to offer training opportunities to foot soldiers in order for them to help in the national development agenda. K.B. Asante who served in Dr. Kwame Nkruma's administration said it will be a good idea to temporally task the so-called foot soldiers to fill potholes on the streets so as to discourage them from the unnecessary seizure of toilets and state properties. “Afterall, our roads are full of pot-holes so we can ask them to go and dig and patch them up, it may be a good idea to do that”, Mr. Asante stated in an interview with Adakabre Frimpong Manso on Adom Fm’s Dwaso Nsem on Tuesday. He said though the National Youth Employment Programme and the upcoming STX construction projects will employ a number of people, they may not be enough to channel the energies of the foot soldiers for the promotion of national employment. He emphasized the need for foot soldiers to be part of national planning, for the development of the country. “Special attention is needed for these foot soldiers for them to feel appreciated especially when their party wins power”, he added. The career diplomat recalled the days of Veranda boys in the Nkrumah era, where party enthusiasts volunteer to work for the party by performing organizational duties without remuneration. He said when the CPP won the elections, the foot soldiers, then known as Veranda boys, were appreciated by government by awarding them with contracts as well as enhancing their skills for employment. “The skills development project eventually established the Young Pioneers,” he said. K.B. Asante emphasized that if the foot soldiers are not provided with any form of employment, they tend to destruct the development agenda of the government. He therefore urged political parties to find a means to secure jobs for the foot soldiers so that the government can focus on issues of the state. Story by Samuel Mantey/Adom News/Ghana