The Minister for Youth Development and Empowerment, George Opare-Addo, has assured Ghanaians that the government remains committed to uncovering the full extent of the National Service Scheme (NSS) ghost names scandal and ensuring that those responsible are held accountable.
His assurance follows President John Dramani Mahama’s directive in February for the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) to probe the NSS after 81,885 suspected ghost names were discovered on its payroll.
The irregularities were identified during a Ministry of Finance-led headcount of active National Service personnel as part of efforts to clear allowance arrears dating back to August 2024.
Following the verification, GH₵226,019,224 was disbursed to pay 98,145 personnel—far lower than the 180,030 names initially submitted under the scheme’s previous management.
Speaking in an interview on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem morning show, Opare-Addo said significant progress has been made in the investigations.
“The proper thing to do when a scandal arises is to launch an investigation. From my briefings, the investigative authorities have made significant headway. One of the culprits was recently invited, and the probe is still ongoing. While I can’t disclose full details at this stage, I can assure the public that we will get to the bottom of this scandal,” he said.
He further revealed that a proper headcount has been completed, leading to a drastic reduction in the number of NSS beneficiaries over the past two months.
“A proper headcount has been conducted, and systems have been realigned. Over the past two months, the total number of beneficiaries has drastically reduced, indicating that effective measures are being implemented. I assure Ghanaians that everyone will be held accountable.”
“We are overhauling the entire system to prevent such fraud in the future. However, as a human institution, lapses can still occur, so we encourage whistleblowers to report any irregularities. Everyone found culpable will be brought to justice,” he added.
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