Former trainees under the Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) have given the government a one-week ultimatum to pay their nine-month arrears.

According to them, several engagements with the government to pay allowances owed them have proved futile.

The Public Relations Officer of the former NABCO trainees, Naa Techie, expressed his sentiments over the delay in payment of arrears owed them.

“A number of demonstrations have been staged. If you would recall, we earlier sent an official petition to the Speaker of Parliament to add his influential voice to our resentment for the payment of arrears and nothing has been done about it. We have submitted another petition to the NABCO secretariat and they have not responded. We haven’t heard anything from them,” he said in an interview on Citi News.

Expressing the emotions of these former NABCO trainees, he said, “the indication is that NABCO trainees have been left in limbo. NABCO Trainees have been subjected to incessant public ridicule, and they have also been subjected to severe hardships and are in a state of starvation to death.”

Naa Techie also confirmed that a letter has been sent to the Finance Minister, and they are awaiting his feedback. However, he threatened several protests till their demands are met.

“We have sent a letter to the Finance Minister. Probably it will end next week Wednesday and we will stage several demonstrations if demands are not met,” he added.

The NABCO program was introduced in 2018 as one of the policies of the Akufo-Addo-led government to ease unemployment in the country.

However, a directive was issued for all beneficiaries to remain at their post though the programme ended in 2021.