The Vice-Presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has described the recent promise by President Mahama to reintroduce the Nursing Training Allowance as a 419 promise meant to deceive nursing trainees for their votes in the December 7 polls.
According to Dr. Bawumia, President Mahama-led administration had only shown commitment to abolishing the allowances, therefore, the sudden u-turn will not address the pains and trauma parents and nursing students to have gone through over the years.
Dr. Bawumia indicated that like many other promises of the NDC leader, this promise will be forgotten and remain unfulfilled and that it is only Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP that has the credibility and commitment to restore fully both the Nursing and Teacher Trainee allowances, a commitment the NDC has often attacked and ridiculed.
Speaking at the Nyankpala Campus of the University for Development Studies (UDS) at a Students’ Forum on Thursday, Nana Akufo-Addo’s Running Mate said, “The NDC government as we all know have cancelled the Teacher Training and Nursing Training Allowances. The President said even if it was going to cost him the election, he wasn’t going to restore them, but today, with just two months to the election and seeing defeat staring him in the face, he is trying to make an about turn and is saying that he wants to restore the allowances.”
Dr. Bawumia at this point threw the ball to the hundreds of students gathered and asked if they believe this latest promise of the President – a question that drew a series of thunderous “Nos” from the students.
“We have to treat that promise with the contempt that it deserves, it is a propaganda promise, it is a 419 promise, if you vote for him, he will cancel it in 2017. You cannot trust him and his word. You can only trust Nana Akufo-Addo. He is the one who is going to restore the Teacher Training and Nursing Training Allowances”, he said.
Dr. Bawumia commenting further, outlined the numerous policies the NPP will implement to jumpstart the economy and create wealth for the people of Ghana, pointed out that for Ghanaians to see the change required, Nana Akufo-Addo will have to be elected President and urged students of the University for Development Studies and all Ghanaians to help protect the integrity of the ballot on Election Day.
“I want to entreat all of you on December 7th to keep your eye on the Polling Station. Please try and be Polling Agents. Even if you are not Polling Agents, be essentially protecting agents, stand there, watch what is going on, make sure everything is by the book, let us defend the integrity of the ballot at the polling station. We know that God willing when we win, we will really transform this country, this will not be the sort of propaganda transformation the NDC is talking about”, he said.
Dr. Bawumia’s visit to the Nyankpala Campus formed part of his tour of the Tolon Constituency, as part of his ongoing Northern Regional Tour.
