Petition to president: Police offer bonded nurses take-it-or-leave-it option

After hours of misunderstanding between angry bonded nurses and the police over the route for a demonstration scheduled to take place Monday morning the police have offered the nurses a take-it-or-leave-it option.

Instead of having the entire demonstrators marching and picketing at the Jubilee House, the seat of government, the police have given an option for six leaders of the demonstrators to go and present a petition to the president at the Flagstaff House, Joy News’ Komla Adom reports.

The leaders of the demonstration are conferring with the members to accept the option but it appears they have lost control over their members.

Adom reports the leaders as saying they should not be held responsible for anything that happens.

Tens of angry nurses gathered at what used to be the Obra Spot at Circle in Accra to begin a demonstration against their continued stay at home months after they have been trained.

They are protesting what they refer to as failure by government to employ them despite several promises.

In their red arm bands, they came ready to begin the demonstration but a disagreement with the police over the route to use meant the demonstration will be stalled a while longer.

The nurses want to present a petition to the president at the Flagstaff House, Monday, but the police say that was not the route agreed.

“We had wanted to go to the president of the land or our father of the country so that we present our petition to him and we believe with him our issue will be resolved but that access was denied and we believe that is the only place we should go,” President of the coalition of nurses, Daniel Obour told Joy News.

He said the members were still in talks with the police to agree on the route but added they would not be held responsible if the police should disagree.

“Should we continue to dialogue with the police and that access is denied we know a hungry man is always an angry man and having completed school without job, for now, we are very hungry people and we are angry.



“Should that continue maybe members will be over-agitated and the entire issue will escalate,” he threatened.

But the police initially would not allow any of the nurses to go to the seat of government.

Police spokesperson said they had agreed with the nurses to use the traditional route for demonstrations in Ghana which most often end at the Hearts Park and petitions are presented by demonstrators to representatives of government.

He would not encourage the nurses to defy the orders of the police.

“Why should somebody defy orders of the [police]? Anytime the word defy comes in it goes with consequences,” he said.

The police said their immediate concern was to have the demonstrators present their petition to the government.

After several hours of waiting, the police appeared to have given the students an option to petition the presidency, only if they agree to allow six of their leaders to march to the Flagstaff House.

That option is yet to be taken by the nurses.

Source: Myjoyonline.com