Vice presidential nominee of the New Patriotic Party, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has laughed off President Mahama’s decision to restore the scrapped allowances for trainee nurses in the country, describing it as election gimmick.

Government scraped the allowance for teacher and nursing trainees in the country to invest the monies into infrastructural development at the various training institutions to enable them absolve the huge numbers of students who apply.

Upon backlash, especially from nursing students, government introduced what it termed as a monthly-abated allowance of GHC150 in July this year to cushion the trainees.

Just before arrangements were formalised for the payment of that allowance to begin, President Mahama during his campaign tour of the Brong Ahafo Region, President John Mahama, announced a restoration of the allowances for trainee nurses.

But addressing a gathering of NPP party members and some selected stakeholders Sunday at the party’s 2016 manifesto launch, Dr Bawumia said President Mahama’s decision should be treated with contempt.

“The recent about turn by president Mahama on the issue of teacher and nursing allowances is purely an election year gimmick, which should be treated with the contempt, it deserves” he said.

The economist suggested President Mahama is desperate to win the election for a second term for which reason he has been making promises.

“At this stage of the electoral cycle President Mahama will say anything to get re-elected,” he said.

Dr Bawumia who has been critical of the Mahama government over the years, particularly his performance on the economy, said the NPP is more committed to the restoration of the trainee nurses and teacher allowance.

He said Nana Akufo-Addo’s government would fully restore the allowances, saying, “teacher trainee allowances will be fully restored. And in addition nursing training allowances will be fully restored”

By Stephen Kwabena Effah|3news.com|Ghana