Making National Service Optional will not Help Achieve Purpose – Former NSS Boss

Mr. Vincent S. Kuagbenu, a former Director of the National Service Scheme (NSS), has opposed the proposal of making national service optional rather than mandatory.

According to him, making national service optional will undermine its intended purpose.

He stated that this will also have an impact on many communities that currently benefit from the services of NSS personnel.

The Vice President and flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, hinted at his public lecture held on Wednesday, February 7, 2024, that under his presidency, national service will be made optional for graduates.

“Ladies and gentlemen, to help our youth get jobs, I believe it is time to rethink the concept of our current national service scheme. My government will propose that those who, after completion of their education, can secure jobs would be exempted from national service. National service will no longer be mandatory, and students will have the option to decide whether to do national service. This will also encourage companies to go to campuses for recruitment annually,” Dr. Bawumia said.

Commenting on the Vice President’s proposal in a radio interview on Accra-based Citi FM on Thursday evening, February 8, 2024, Mr. Kuagbenu said that the Vice President was introducing the optional arm of national service since he [Bawumia] did not undertake national service himself.

According to him, data from the National Service Secretariat shows that Vice President Bawumia skipped national service.

“We have people like Bawumia skipping national service,” he said. He went on to say, “We must keep protecting this (NSS).”

Mr. Kuagbenu stated that he was astonished when he heard Vice President Bawumia’s suggestion for national service, adding, “I was most scandalised hearing the Vice President say this.”

He emphasised that national service allows new graduates to learn employable skills, stating that the “Vice President doesn’t want the youth to develop their skills.”

The former NSS boss advocated for more resources to be invested in the service to strengthen its operations.