By: Sarah Baafi
President John Dramani Mahama has directed the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) to conduct an immediate investigation into the operations of the National Service Authority following the discovery of up to 81,885 suspected ghost names on its payroll. This revelation came after a head count was conducted by the Ministry of Finance as part of efforts to clear outstanding allowance arrears dating back to August 2024.
The Ministry of Finance released GHS 226,019,224 for actual personnel, significantly less than the previous management’s figure of 180,030 names submitted for allowance payments in 2024.
This discrepancy highlights a substantial financial mismanagement issue that has plagued the institution.
President Mahama has also instructed the new management to implement urgent reforms aimed at establishing robust controls and preventing future occurrences of ghost names. The move underscores his administration’s commitment to transparency and accountability in public institutions.
This development follows recent allegations and investigations into similar scandals within the Authority. Despite previous denials by NSA officials that there are no ghost names on their payroll, these latest findings suggest ongoing challenges with fraud prevention measures.
Spokesperson for President Mahama and Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, said addressing financial mismanagement is a priority for this administration. The probe aims to ensure accountability and strengthen payroll management within the institution.
As part of broader efforts against corruption, President Mahama’s directive marks a critical step towards rectifying systemic issues within public sector institutions like NSA.
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