President John Dramani Mahama has ordered the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) to launch an immediate investigation into alleged ghost names within the National Service Authority (NSA), specifically focusing on the period under the previous administration.
The investigation follows the discovery of a staggering 81,885 suspected ghost names on the NSA’s payroll.
The irregularities were uncovered during a headcount of active National Service personnel, a measure initiated by the Minister for Finance as a prerequisite for clearing allowance arrears dating back to August 2024.
“The ghost names were detected following a head count of active National Service personnel at the behest of the Minister for Finance as a prerequisite for the dearance of allowance arrears dating back to August 2024,” the official statement from the Presidency noted.
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Upon completion of the headcount, the Ministry of Finance released GHS 226,019,224 to cover allowance payment arrears for 98,145 verified National Service Personnel. This figure is significantly lower than the 180,030 names submitted by the previous NSA management for allowance payments in 2024, highlighting the scope of the alleged “ghost names” scandal.
President Mahama has also tasked the new NSA management with implementing urgent reforms.
“President Mahama has also tasked the new management of the Authority to carry out urgent reforms with the view to establishing adequate controls to prevent a recurrence of the phenomenon of ghost names,” the Presidency stated. The implication of the statement is that there is the expectation that those responsible will be brought to account for the alleged ghost names.
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In addition to the NIB investigation, President Mahama has tasked the new NSA management with implementing urgent reforms to establish robust controls and prevent any future recurrence of this type of fraudulent activity. The investigation is anticipated to start imminently.
