The crowd. INSET: Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia
Students of the Keta Nursing and Midwifery Training College (NMTC) literally held Vice President Bawumia to ransom yesterday.
This was when he stormed the school as part of his campaign tour of the Volta Region.
Even before Dr. Bawumia, who is the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential candidate in the upcoming general election, could alight from his vehicle, the students had besieged the convoy, literally making it impossible to descend amidst chants of ‘it is possible’ and ‘paapa oo dendei’ whilst waving NPP flags.
His security detail had a tough time meandering through the thick crowd to usher the Vice President to the school’s auditorium where he was scheduled to have a stakeholder engagement.
Some of the students, who spoke to journalists, could not hide their excitement on seeing the Vice President.
That, they said, was due to the fact that they were beneficiaries of the Akufo-Addo and Bawumia-led NPP government’s Free Senior High School (SHS).
“Sir, if not for this Akufo-Addo and Bawumia government’s introduction and implementation of the Free SHS policy, some of us would not have been able go to secondary school, let alone come to enjoy the Nursing Training College allowance that was cancelled by former President Mahama and his NDC who are seeking to come back and rule Ghana,” one student told this reporter.
Principal of the school, Mabel Kafui Torku, was full of praise for Dr. Bawumia and the NPP government.
She could not help thanking him for coming to their aid during the recent storm which destroyed their auditorium.
Like the proverbial Oliver Twist, she still wanted more to be done for the school, including asking Dr. Bawumia to help them get projectors, laptop computers or tablets, motorbikes and a standby electricity generator or charged plant.
Dr. Bawumia, on his part, promised to help meet their demands to facilitate teaching and learning, to a rapturous applause and cheers from the students.
The Dufia of Kedzi, Togbe Joachim Acolatse V, who spoke on behalf of the Keta Traditional Council, said the developmental footprints of the current government in the constituency are evident, and said the people of Keta are throwing their weight behind the NPP in the upcoming election.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Keta