President John Dramani Mahama has directed the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) to send off a prompt investigation of a scandal at the National Service Authority (NSA). This move aligns with the organization’s ongoing obligation to battle debasement.
The order follows the disclosure of north of 81,885 thought phantom names on the NSA finance after an obligatory headcount of dynamic national service personnel.
An assertion endorsed by the President’s Representative,Minister of Government Communications Felix Kwakye Ofosu, and dated Wednesday, 12
The ghost names were recognized following a headcount of dynamic at the National Service personnel command of the Minister for Finance as a prerequisite for the clearance of allowance arrears dating back to August 2024.
The assertion further revealed that the Minister for Finance, , Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, has in this way delivered assets to settle the back payments of active personnel.
Following the consummation of the headcount, the Ministry of Finance has delivered GHS 226,019,224 to cover remittance installment back payments for 98,145 genuine Service personnel.
This figure is 81,885 not exactly the 180,030 names presented by the past administration of the Authority for allowance payments in 2024.
Meanwhile, President Mahama has tasked the new management of the NSA with implementing urgent reforms to establish stricter controls and prevent a recurrence of ghost names on the payroll.
In December 2024, investigative media outlet The Fourth Estate planned to publish an exposé on alleged corrupt activities within the National Service Scheme (NSS). The publication was scheduled for 2 December, just five days before the 2024 general election. However, the NSA obtained a 10-day injunction, halting the release less than 12 hours before its scheduled publication.
Leaked documents later suggested that the scandal involved over 40,000 ghost names on the NSS payroll, leading to an estimated annual loss of more than GHS 343 million over three consecutive years.
In response, the NSA, in a statement dated 16 December, denied any payroll fraud, describing the allegations as a threat to its ongoing transformation efforts aimed at eliminating such malpractices. The Authority also expressed its willingness to investigate the claims.
