Ghost names will be a thing of the past- NSS Boss assures

The Acting Director of the National Service Authority (NSS), Felix Gyamfi, has assured Ghanaians that ghost names will be completely eradicated from the scheme under his leadership.

His pledge comes in response to President John Dramani Mahama’s directive to the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) to launch an immediate probe into the operations of the NSS.

This follows a recent headcount that uncovered 81,885 suspected ghost names on the scheme’s payroll under the previous administration.

An audit, commissioned by the Minister of Finance as part of efforts to clear outstanding allowances, revealed that only 98,145 National Service personnel were actively serving, despite the former NSS management submitting 180,030 names for payment. Consequently, the Ministry of Finance has disbursed GHS 226,019,224 to cover verified personnel’s allowance arrears.

Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show, Mr. Gyamfi reiterated his commitment to ensuring accountability and transparency in the scheme.

“We must start doing things the right way. I won’t take anything for granted. Under my leadership and President Mahama’s watch, ghost names will be a thing of the past,” he stated.

He emphasised that his primary focus is guaranteeing that National Service personnel receive their allowances without any fraudulent activities.

“People are still working, and we must ensure steady progress. No one will misbehave while I am here. I will uphold accountability so that the public trusts that the scheme is operating without issues,” he added.

Mr. Gyamfi reaffirmed his commitment to restoring confidence in the NSS, vowing that all irregularities, including ghost names, will be addressed decisively.