President John Dramani Mahama has directed the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) to launch an immediate inquiry into the operations of the National Service Scheme (NSS) under the previous administration following the discovery of 81,885 suspected ghost names on its payroll.
The irregularities were uncovered during a headcount of active National Service personnel, conducted at the request of the Minister for Finance. The exercise was a prerequisite for clearing unpaid allowances dating back to August 2024.
According to a letter signed by Acting Presidential Spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu, the Ministry of Finance, after completing the verification process, disbursed GH¢226,019,224 to settle allowance arrears for 98,145 legitimate National Service personnel.
The investigation is expected to determine the extent of financial mismanagement and identify those responsible for the payroll discrepancies.
“This figure is 81,885 less than the 180,030 names presented by the previous management of the Authority for allowance payments in 2024,” parts of the release read.
“President Mahama has also tasked the new management of the Authority to carry out urgent reforms to establish adequate controls and prevent a recurrence of the ghost names phenomenon,” the letter added.
See the statement below
