When are we getting our allawa? - Bawumia spokesperson says arrears better than no allowances

Dennis Miracles Aboagye, spokesman of the Mahamudu Bawumia for president campaign, has reacted to a viral video in which a student nurse challenged his principal over the payment of nursing allowances.

The Vice President, also the flagbearer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), was confronted by a final-year nursing student who said she had never received the government allowance ('allawa') meant for students.

She raised the issue during a question and answer session at a recent campaign event in the Bono Region.

Before her question, Bawumia was heard in a viral video touting the decision of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to restore allowance for nursing and teacher trainees in 2017.

The allowances had at the time been cancelled by the John Dramani Mahama government.

On social media, the student was being celebrated for asking a critical question of arrears that nursing trainees have serially demanded to be paid.

In a post on his social media timelines, Miracles suggested that having arrears was better than the allowance being cancelled.

"Today, the poor woman’s daughter is enrolled in nursing and teacher training and demand for her “alawa” arrears… in the past she could not even dream of college bcos the allowance was cancelled," he stated.

Exchange between Bawumia and nursing student:

“When my opponent was in government, he abolished the nursing training allowance. And we said we would restore the nursing trainee allowances, and we have restored them.

“Can you trust my opponent with nursing training allowances? You cannot,” Bawumia said.

Then came the question from the nursing student who claimed she had never received an allowance since she started schooling.

“The question I want to ask is, when are we getting our 'allawa'? Since I started school, I have not received my allawa to date, and I’m in my last semester. Some of us are not even able to pay our school fees.

“Those who are not able to pay their fees would be sacked; they wouldn’t be allowed to write the exams. If the 'allawa' had been given to us, they would have been able to pay their fees. So, my question is, when are we getting the 'allawa'?” she asked.

The NPP flagbearer, in his response, promised to take up the issue with the Ministry of Finance.

“I wasn’t sure of where you were with your 'allawa', but I think that I will check with the Ministry of Finance immediately after I return. And I will make sure they pay you your 'allawa' if it has not been paid," Bawumia assured.

Watch a video of the incident below: