The National Service Scheme (NSS) ghost identify scandal has despatched shockwaves via Ghana, with billions of cedis reportedly siphoned from the general public purse.
The investigation by The Fourth Estate has uncovered an enormous rip-off inside the Nationwide Service Authority’s (NSA) payroll, revealing hundreds of faux names and bogus scholar index numbers from among the nation’s high universities.
The exposé, spanning the 8-year tenure of former president Nana Akufo-Addo (2017–2024), reveals that these fraudulent identities have been creeping into the system since 2018, leading to a staggering 2.2 billion cedis in losses.
The faux index numbers have been linked to universities equivalent to Kwame Nkrumah College of Science and Know-how (KNUST), College for Growth Research (UDS), College of Schooling, Winneba (UEW), Tamale Technical College, Valley View College (VVU), and a number of other faculties of schooling.
With an ongoing investigation launched by President John Mahama, listed below are 5 surprising particulars from The Fourth Property’s exposé on the NSS scandal:
1. Over 80-Yr-Olds on the NSS Database
Probably the most jaw-dropping discoveries was the inclusion of people effectively past retirement age. The Fourth Property revealed:
93-year-old Nimatu Salifu was listed as a UDS graduate, deployed to Kpiyagi D/A Main College within the Higher West Area within the 2022/2023 service 12 months.
The report continued:
In the identical service 12 months, 91-year-old Ruth Abdulai, supposedly a Growth Research graduate from UDS, was posted to Adakura Main College within the Higher East Area. There’s additionally an 82-year-old Mahamadu Ali, one other UDS graduate, who was posted to Anyinabrim Anglican College in Sefwi Wiawso within the Western North Area.
2. One Identify Repeated 226 Occasions on NSA Payroll
Think about seeing your identify listed 226 occasions on a authorities payroll. That’s precisely what occurred with Abubakar Fuseini, whose identify appeared repeatedly throughout completely different entries within the 2022/2023 NSS database, all linked to an identical {qualifications}. The exposé said:
Extra shockingly, the 2022/2023 NSS record contained 226 different people named ‘Abubakar Fuseini,’ all supposedly from UDS, with an identical levels – Bachelor of Arts in Built-in Growth Research.
The report additional highlighted 2,338 different names with index numbers much like Abubakar’s, which have been inconsistent with the college’s official information.
3. A 72-Yr-Previous Kenyan with a Pretend ID
In a weird twist, The Fourth Property revealed {that a} 72-year-old Kenyan man was listed on the NSS payroll beneath the faux identify Kwame Donkor. The catch? He had no ID. As an alternative, a random picture was used. A reverse picture search revealed the picture was not of him, however of Emmanuel Mutio, a Human Sources Supervisor at a non-public IT firm in Kenya.
4. Yr with the Most Ghost Names – 2024/2025
The investigation uncovered large discrepancies between the variety of eligible NSS personnel disclosed by the NSA and the quantity introduced to parliament. The 12 months 2024/2025 noticed the very best variety of ghost names, with a surprising 81,885 fraudulent entries.
5. Highest Monetary Loss – 2023/2024
When it comes to monetary losses, the 2023/2024 12 months noticed the very best estimated loss at GH₵513.7m. For this 12 months, the NSA reported 122,275 eligible personnel, but 182,142 names have been introduced to parliament, revealing a ghost identify discrepancy of 59,867.
Conclusion
In response to the scandal, President Mahama has ordered a direct investigation by the Nationwide Investigations Bureau (NIB). An announcement from the President’s Spokesperson, Minister of Authorities Communications Felix Kwakye Ofosu, dated Wednesday, 12 February, confirmed that the investigation is a part of the administration’s dedication to tackling corruption.
