Mahama nurses apology doesn’t make sense – Sammi Awuku

The National Organizer of the ruling New Patriotic Party(NPP) Sammi Awuku says it made absolutely no sense for student trainees at the Nalerigu Nursing & Midwifery Training College to have apologized to ex-President Mahama.

According to him, he believes the ex-President who’s is the opposition NDC’s Flagbearer for the 2020 election, was stunned as he wondered why the students will beg him after he canceled their allowance while in office.

Some supposed students on Friday, 30 August 2019 apologized to former President John Mahama for contributing to his defeat in the 2016 election.

The students at a durbar organized for Mr. Mahama as part of his tour of the region held placards with inscriptions “JM we are sorry nurses need you back”.

They also mobbed the former president, knelt down and chanted “JM we’re sorry”.

Mr. Mahama as President scrapped the nursing training allowance with the aim to migrate the trainee nurses onto the Students’ Loan Trust Fund instead.

The move caused disaffection for Mr. Mahama as his opponents, Nana Akufo-Addo the then flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), promised to restore the allowance if he won power in 2016.

Shortly after the NPP won power, President Akufo-Addo restored the allowance beginning from the September 2017/2018 academic year.

Training nurses in state institutions comprising nurses and midwives are paid an allowance of four GHS400 per person.

Commenting on the action by the trainee nurses on Asempa FM as monitored by Kasapafmonline.com, Sammi Awuku said he’s sure the students who held the papers with the inscription “We are sorry” didn’t understand what they held.

“I’m sure that ex-President Mahama himself was surprised when they said they were sorry. Nursing training is a duration of two years maximum of three years. Those who were in the school in 2016 have completed so if some nurses say they are sorry, at the time their seniors were campaigning for the restoration of the allowance in 2016 these ones were not part so maybe the inscription they held they didn’t understand.

Sammi Awuku added: “During the 2016 electioneering campaign, ex-President Mahama said it was not possible to restore the allowance but his successor has restored it, you are not owed receive your allowance monthly and so if you say you are sorry are you saying sorry because the incumbent government is paying you your allowance? It just doesn’t make sense. They could have gotten nice inscriptions like “we miss you” when you come back continue with the nursing training allowance. Because I’m sure Mr. Mahama was surprised when they said they were sorry.”