We read in this forum yesterday about three Ghanaian medical students arrest in Cuba for armed robbery. How did this happen with our record of Ghanaian students always behaving properly as good ambassadors of our country despite the financial problems they encounter in their various countries of residence? I wrote an article about how these particular students were sent to Cuba by the Vice President to bridge the gap between the Medical Doctors shortage in the Three Northern regions compared to the rest of the country. At least that was what we were told by President Mahama, then Vice President at the time who selected almost just Northerners with few Ewes to for what was supposedly a Cuba scholarship that turned out to be a hoax and Ghanaians were billed $150,000 per each student for 250 students for a six years course. We woke up on April 8, 2014 to read the headlines;
General News of Tuesday, 8 April 2014
Source: myjoyonline.com
Three Ghanaian medical students in jail for robbing in Cuba
"Three Ghanaian medical students studying in Cuba on Government of Ghana scholarship have been arrested for allegedly robbing a hotel.The three, all male, are said to be children of some high level public officials including a deputy minister of state."
The question now is this; President Mahamah, where is the money for these students?
Why did Mahama tell Ghanaians that it will cost Ghana $30,000 for the duration of six years to educate one Ghanaian Doctor in Cuba when he has already billed Ghana for $150,000 per student for the 250 Northern students he sent to Cuba? Even the Cuba government has listed on its website that these students are on Cuba government scholarship, so who is going to pocket the extra 120,000 dollars per student if we have to believe Mahama? Why do we have to pay 37.5 million dollars to educate 250 students when this money if used in Ghana can educate 1500 Doctors Legon and more than 30000 Doctors at KNUST? Can President Mahama address this issue instead of hiding behind lies and innuendos?
On the same website, Kenya also sent almost the same number of medical students to be educated in Cuba at $30,000 per students for six years so why is the President billing Ghana for $150,000 per student for six years?
Was it not even corruption when the President Mahama, then Vice President selected all these students from the three Northern regions with few Ewes from his office? When did the Office of the Vice President become Scholarship Secretariat?
President Mahama has been weaving and boobing like a scared Price Fighter who has been put in a ring against an opponent he would rather not have anything to do with? Does this amoral President who has children out of wedlock all over the place grab the bull by the horn and address a legitimate question about his penchant for signing outrageous contracts with flags flapping around them like a windy city flag in Chicago in December?
Now we are learning that this government has not been able to send the $250 per student monthly stipend to these students so they have resorted to stealing to survive. Who are these students and on what criteria were they chose to go to Cuba for Medical training apart from them being Northerners selected by then Vice President Mahamah from his Vice Presidential Office he had turned to Scholarship Secretariat Annex? Ghanaians need to know and the earlier this President tell us who these students are, the better it will be for him.
Justice Sarpong
(CARDINAL of TRUTH)
