Provide Jobs For Teeming Youth � Macho Men�s Group

Macho Men for Good and Justice (MMGJ), a pressure group in the country, has called on the government to, as matter of urgency, provide jobs for the teeming youth of this country. The group said lack of jobs for the youth, especially its 6,500 strong members, was worrisome because most of them engaged in activities such as perpetrating violence against fellow citizens even though it was against their will. �The devil finds job for the idle hand,� the National President and Founder of the group, Nana Kwabena Boakye, told the Daily Graphic in an interview when he and some executive members visited the head office of the Graphic Communications Group (GCGL) in Accra to express their disappointment at the situation. Failed promises According to him, before the 2012 general election, the government, political parties, civil society organisations (CSOs), and the clergy, among other groups, promised to provide employment for the youth. However, he said, all those promises had failed, and added that members of the group were not engaged in enviable jobs. It would be recalled that days into the 2012 general election, the MMGJ promised to assist the police and other security agencies to protect lives and property. It also promised to not serve the interest of political parties by intimidating voters during the election as well as steal ballot boxes. �We are calling on the government to tackle the problem of unemployment aggressively and with all seriousness,� Mr Boakye said. Engaging macho men While admitting that some of the members had no better qualifications to warrant white-collar jobs, Mr Boakye suggested that there were areas the government could engage their services. �The country has been crying about the menace of galamsey, so the government can engage some of us to cover all the pits the operators have created,� he said. The founder added that some of them could also be employed in organisations as security personnel, among other responsibilities or duties. He expressed appreciation to the chiefs and people of Danchira in the Ga West Municipality for providing large acres of land for members of MMGJ for farming activities. Caution to politicians and leaders The Greater Accra Regional Representative of MMGJ, Nana Kofi Adusei, cautioned politicians to desist from using some of their members to perpetrate atrocities in the country. �There are some security personnel and pastors in this country who hire the services of macho men for their protection, but cannot provide permanent jobs for them,� he said, and added that it was uncalled for. Mr Adusei also accused politicians of trying every means at their disposal to ensure that the group was disunited and said that would not work. According to him, when members of the MMGJ were united, it would be difficult for any politician to use its members for what he described as unnecessary. �We believe that any idea a politician has concerning Ghana must be used for the good of the nation,� Mr Adusei said. He added his voice to the call on government and agencies to provide employment for most of the members of the association. That, he believed, would help reduce the atrocities some of its members were engaged in.