Your concerns may be legitimate, but… – Ejisu MP tells NDC youth who locked up NHIA Office

The Member of Parliament for Ejisu, Kwabena Boateng, has condemned the recent locking up of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) office in the constituency by some National Democratic Congress (NDC) youth, describing the action as unacceptable and a threat to public order.

Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem on Wednesday, March 18, the MP said he moved quickly to verify the situation after hearing about the incident on Monday.

His checks confirmed that the District Director of the NHIA had been transferred, but concerns were raised over the appointment of a successor who is not affiliated with the NDC and not known within the Ejisu constituency.

According to him, some of the aggrieved youth had insisted that the new appointee should be someone familiar to the constituency, a demand he believes is misguided.

He cautioned that such expectations, if encouraged, could undermine national cohesion and effective governance.

“This situation is worrying because it will not help in nation-building. We cannot expect all appointees to be indigenes,” he stated.

He further warned that insisting on locality-based appointments could set a dangerous precedent across the public sector.

“This is setting a bad precedent because does that mean we have to sack other people who are not working in their locality?” he questioned.

The MP stressed that public sector jobs are national in character and should not be determined by political loyalty or local affiliation. He suggested that the agitation may partly stem from demands for employment but emphasised that such concerns must be addressed through proper channels.

He urged party supporters to engage leadership constructively rather than resorting to intimidation

“They should have engaged the party leadership behind the scenes and suggested people for consideration, but not gone about it in the manner they did,” he said.

“We shouldn’t resort to violence and intimidation in our quest to serve our interests.”

Mr. Boateng disclosed that he had invited the police and local party leadership to intervene and help restore calm. He also took it upon himself to directly engage the youth in the constituency.

“I took it upon myself to engage the NDC youth as their MP. Calm has been restored in the area,” he noted.

While acknowledging that the concerns raised by the youth may be legitimate, he insisted that the approach taken was wrong.

“I made them understand that they have legitimate concerns demanding an Ejisu indigene, but that is not how it is done,” he explained.

He further urged discipline among party supporters and reaffirmed the importance of lawful engagement in addressing grievances.