Government has released just one out of the ten months’ arrears to be paid to trainees of the just-ended Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) programme.
NABCO beneficiaries had not received their allowances since November 2021.
In a statement, the NABCO trainees Association of Ghana (NABTAG), revealed that “one month’s payment is only a speck of the total amount owed them,” however, are grateful to the government for taking a step “in ameliorating the unfortunate situation in which we find ourselves.”
The recent payment implies that nine months, counting from December 2021, are still outstanding.
In view of this, President of the Association, Dennis Opoku Katakyie, has implored government, particularly the Ministry of Finance, to “affix trainees’ outstanding arrears into its subsequent allocations to enable the Secretariat to effect payment for the remaining months.”
Failure to do so, the leadership has threatened to “recruit another draconian measure to forcibly ensure that we are paid.”
“We have done it before, so we can do it again,” the Association stressed.
Before the end of the NABCO programme on September 1, 2022, several protests were embarked by the aggrieved trainees to demand payment of their allowance.
Meanwhile, another faction, the Coalition of NABCO trainees, has decided to petition Parliament over the matter when the House reconvenes in October this year.
Should they be unable to receive their arrears, the Coalition has threatened to drag the government to court.
Meanwhile, the government has entreated beneficiaries of the just-ended programme (about 57,000) to take advantage of the YouStart programme it has put in place to address unemployment.
The programme seeks to encourage entrepreneurship in the country.
Source: The Independent Ghana