A section of College of Agric students stormed the Ministry of Agric premises on Wednesday morning at about 5:30 picketing in a bid to coerce the government to restore their allowances as has been done for trainee nurses. 

The students numbering about 300, converged at the premises of the Ministry singing and dancing all in a bid to mount pressure on the Ministry to get their allowances, which were scrapped together with that of teacher and nursing trainees, restored.  

“No alawa no school, no alawa no school, no alawa no school”, they chanted.

Their action is fuelled by Tuesday's development where trainee nurses lined up to say thank you to President Nana Akufo-Addo for restoring their allowances scrapped by the previous administration.

The "thank you's" was supervised by the Health Minister, Kwaku Agyemang Manu at the launch of the restoration of the Nurses and Midwife Trainee Allowances at the Brong Ahafo Regional capital, Sunyani.

The restoration puts more than ¢23.2million monthly bill over 10 months on government with each of the about 58,000 trainees expected to receive ¢400 per month. The total annual bill is ¢232million.

The restoration took effect from September 2017. The last time the trainees received the allowance was in 2014.

Speaking to Joy News’ Maxwell Agbagba, president of the National Agric Students Union, Chimbu Samson Samika said, “we are here to demand the restoration of our allowances”.

He also said they have been trying to dialogue with the Minister since the governing New Patriotic Party promised during the electioneering period to restore all allowances that were scrapped by the erstwhile John Mahama-led government in 2013. 

Another student also said the government should “pamper” them since President Nana Akufo-Addo said he wants to use agric to develop the nation. 

“We are disappointed in the Minister”, another student said.