The Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Authority (NYA), Osman Abdulai Ayariga, has called on former Vice President and 2024 Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, to offer a direct apology to the youth of Ghana for failing to create jobs during his tenure.
Mr. Ayariga’s remarks follow Dr. Bawumia’s recent public apology to Ghanaians during a visit to London, made on behalf of the NPP.
In an interview, Ayariga expressed skepticism about the sincerity of the apology, questioning who exactly it was directed toward and the specific reasons behind it.
He argued that true leadership requires honesty, and accused Dr. Bawumia of being dishonest with Ghanaians. According to Ayariga, the apology appeared to be aimed more at appeasing NPP supporters in an attempt to boost his re-election prospects, rather than addressing the broader concerns of ordinary citizens.
Mr. Ayariga stressed that if Dr. Bawumia was genuinely remorseful, he should apologize to several key groups: pensioners affected by the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP), the youth who were let down by the failure of the Nation Builders Corps (NABCO), and young people burdened by the introduction of taxes such as the E-Levy and betting tax.
He argued that Dr. Bawumia overlooking the real hardships faced by Ghanaians and choosing to focus on internal party politics, shows the lack of accountability and sincerity, qualities which Mr. Ayariga says are essential in any aspiring leader.