Employees of the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) in the Northern Region who are apathetic towards their duties are to face sanctions. The Deputy Northern Regional Minister, Mr San Nasamu Asabigi gave this warning in Tamale at the graduation ceremony of trainees under the hairdressing module. According to him, the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) had received numerous complaints from various heads of institutions that some of the NYEP beneficiaries were shirking their duties. “The complaints are getting too much and so we have now asked the heads to file formal complaints against anyone who is engaged in such behaviour so we could sanction the fellow,” he stated. The Deputy Minister mentioned that while some of the employees were reported to be disrespectful and lazy others either failed to report for duty or always reported late. It is alleged that some of those who have been engaged under the teaching and health assistants' modules were absenting themselves from work and, whenever they do report for work they lacked decorum in their approach to clients and superiors. Mr Nasamu disapproved of such behaviour and reminded the NYEP beneficiaries to be mindful of the fact that they were being paid from the public purse and were enjoined to serve the nation. “You are the lucky ones who have been selected” among thousands of unemployed youth. I, therefore, see no reason why you should joke with this opportunity as if you are not accountable to anyone,” he remarked. The Deputy Minister noted that the idea behind the training of the youth was to enable them develop entrepreneurial skills to be self-employed and independent. He said it was, therefore, inappropriate for the government to pump resources into this training, only for the beneficiaries to misbehave. He entreated the graduates to link up with financial institutions in order to have access to capital to enable them start their own businesses. He also cautioned the young females not to rush into marriage commitments that would impede their progress.