President John Dramani Mahama’s sudden U-turn on the payment of nursing trainee allowances, is meant to deceive voters, Flagbearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo, has said.
Nana Akufo-Addo said the President backtracked on his initial decision in a desperate move to stay in power.
“…He has decided to pay the allowances, with a few days to the elections. This smacks of desperation, with no iota of sincerity. It is an election year gimmick,” Akufo-Addo said at Adukrom in the Okere Constituency on Tuesday, during his 4-day tour of the Eastern Region.
The Mahama-led government withdrew the allowances for nursing students explaining that it was to allow the various training colleges to admit more students; a decision which was met with wide condemnation.
Government later announced a decision to give a reduced amount of allowances to the teacher and nursing trainees, whiles they are being processed onto the student loan scheme for other tertiary students, as well as a committee that is investigating the withdrawal.
But Nana Akufo-Addo insisted that government’s new position on the matter is only to hoodwink Ghanaians for votes.
Nana Akufo-Addo also noted that, “the wind of change that is blowing across all parts of the country is in favour of the NPP. Because of this, and the perks associated with the high office of the land, President Mahama and his functionaries are going round the country peddling a lot of lies about me and the NPP.”
He stressed that, “Ghanaians are looking for a competent government to come into office to solve the many problems they are being confronted with. Ghanaians want a government that will do a job for them, and not that which will rule with propaganda. We don’t manage a country with propaganda, lies and deceit.”
He also reiterated that he will honour all the promises he has made to Ghanaians.
“We in the NPP will not make promises we cannot keep. When we said we were going to implement the NHIS, the late President Mills and the NDC said it could not be done. However, President Kufuor did it. Likewise, I am telling Ghanaians that Free SHS policy, amongst others, will be truly implemented to the benefit of all.”
“I am not the one to make promises I know I cannot keep, all in the name of getting votes. I have too much love and respect for Ghanaians to make promises which I cannot fulfill. I will never do that,” he assured.
He further appealed to residents of Adukrom to vote for him massively on December 7.
Nana Akufo-Addo, on day-1 of his campaign tour of the Eastern Region, also visited the Ayensuano (Amanase, Asuboi and Teacher Mante), Lower Manya Krobo (Odumase Krobo, Somanya, Kpong) and Asuogyaman (Atimpoku) constituencies.
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(Via: CitiFM Online Ghana)
