A former Director of the National Service Scheme (NSS), Vincent Kuagbenu, has criticised Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s proposal to make national service voluntary if elected president.

Mr Kuagbenu argues that Bawumia lacks an understanding of the significance of national service for individuals and the country.

During a public lecture on February 7, Dr Bawumia suggested that national service should no longer be mandatory for graduates seeking immediate employment after completing their tertiary education. He proposed that students should be able to decide whether to participate in national service.

In response, Kuagbenu, in an interview on Eyewitness News, expressed his disagreement, stating that Bawumia does not appreciate the value of national service. Kuagbenu highlighted the importance of national service in promoting national unity, cohesion, and providing practical experience to school leavers.

He suggested that Dr. Bawumia’s lack of personal experience with national service could have influenced his decision.

“National service is free. What is paid to service personnel is a stipend. That is about 40% of what graduates will earn if they are employed in the public service or civil service. They are rather saving the state billions of cedi…I know for a fact that he [Bawumia] didn’t do national service, so he doesn’t understand how much this country is saving from the services of personnel.”

“…We must even improve the scheme and ensure that we harness the skill of human resources.”