Former executives of the National Service Authority (NSA) have dismissed allegations made in a recent investigative report by The Fourth Estate, describing it as misleading and sensationalized.
The investigation accused the NSA of inflating personnel figures, facilitating ghost names on the payroll, and failing to conduct proper verification of service personnel.
However, in a press release signed by former Director-General Osei Assibey Antwi and former Executive Director Mustapha Ussif, the ex-officials rejected the claims, insisting that the report misrepresents NSA’s enrolment and payment processes.
According to the statement, The Fourth Estate’s claim that NSA budget figures differ significantly from publicly available data is false. The ex-officials argue that the investigative team relied only on general enrolment figures from September and ignored additional service personnel, such as nursing and teacher trainees, who are enrolled later through special programmes.
They further clarified that while budgets submitted to Parliament reflect the total personnel posted, not all of them end up on the payroll, as some fail verification or do not show up for service.
“The payroll is only activated after stringent verification, and only verified personnel receive payments through the Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPSS), a subsidiary of the Bank of Ghana,” the statement explained.
The Fourth Estate also alleged that the NSA’s system contained foreign nationals, overaged persons, and individuals with fake IDs, implying widespread payroll fraud. However, the former officials explained that such inconsistencies exist only at the entry stage and are filtered out during the verification process before payments are made.
“During regional verification, all personnel undergo biometric and facial recognition checks. Any inconsistencies result in immediate disqualification, meaning these individuals never make it onto the payroll,” they stated.
They criticised The Fourth Estate for failing to consult GhIPSS to verify whether any of the names flagged in their investigation actually received allowances from the NSA.
The former officials accused The Fourth Estate of conducting a hurried and biased investigation, aimed at tarnishing their reputations rather than uncovering the truth.
Despite their strong opposition to the report, they welcomed President John Mahama’s directive for an official investigation into the matter, expressing confidence that a thorough review would disprove the allegations.
“We are certain that an independent investigation will reveal the true state of affairs, contrary to the contrived allegations made by The Fourth Estate,” the statement concluded.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
