A group of unposted Environmental Health Officers and Assistants have taken to the streets of Tamale to protest their unemployment situation.
The group is demanding that the government and the relevant ministries address their plight, as they have not been posted to their respective duties despite completing their studies at the three schools of hygiene in the country.
In a speech delivered by Addai Jacob, the Public Relations Officer for the unposted health officers and assistants, he expressed frustration over the lack of action from the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.
He mentioned that several engagements with stakeholders since 2021 have not yielded any positive results.
“This morning we are here to seek a petition to the finance ministry, local government and municipal sanitation for clearance and posting. So on behalf of the posted environmental officers and assistants, we would like to urgently seek your intervention in addressing the critical issues of unemployment among qualified environmental health officers and assistants who have graduated from the three schools of hygiene in Ghana.
“We have completed our training and are eager to contribute to the national development most especially in the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources. However, due to a lack of financial clearance and posting, we are facing mass challenges and are unable to secure employment opportunities.
“We are calling on the Ministry of Finance and Water Resources in collaboration with the local government and the Ministry of Finance in due course to give us financial clearance and posting as we are facing immense challenges, unable to have three square meals.”
The protesters are urging the ministries to grant financial clearance and post the over 1,600 officers to various Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies to enforce sanitary by-laws.
They argue that their unemployment situation not only affects their well-being but also poses a threat to national security.
Awine Fred Atinga, the Secretary of the group, emphasized the dire need for their services, both for the nation’s development and to support their families.
He shared that many of them are struggling to make ends meet, with some even having difficulty affording transportation to the protest.
“I’m an environmental head officer who has completed since 2021 and has been home for all this while. We are jobless and we are schooled just to serve the country and also to get something to feed our family. we are very tired in the house and we are suffering we’re just suffering to feed ourselves.
Even coming here you can see the numbers. People are willing to come back even to get 10 cedis, and 20 cedis for transportation it is not easy for us. We truly indeed need our persons to be able to serve our country and not all the country but to feed ourselves.”
The group is calling on the relevant ministries and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to intervene and address their concerns, urging prompt action to clear and post them to their respective positions.
“We are calling on IGP as well. It’s a national security threat. It’s a threat to national security as possible as urgency to duly seek intervention to clear us and push us. This demonstration has become necessary after several engagements with stakeholders in the Ministry of Sanitation.”
Source:Fiilafmonline/CitiNews
