Probe NSS Ghost Names Scandal – Prez. Mahama Orders

President John Dramani Mahama has ordered the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) to conduct immediate investigations into the operations of the National Service Authority under the previous government. This follows the shocking discovery of 81,885 suspected ghost names on the Authority’s payroll.

The ghost names were uncovered after a headcount of active National Service personnel, which was a prerequisite for the clearance of allowance arrears dating back to August 2024. The exercise revealed a staggering discrepancy between the actual number of personnel and the names presented by the previous management of the Authority for allowance payment in 2024.

According to the Ministry of Finance, an amount of GHS 226,019,224 has been released to cover allowance payment arrears for 98,145 actual National Service Personnel. This figure is significantly lower than the 180,030 names presented by the previous management, highlighting the extent of the scam.

President Mahama has also tasked the new management of the Authority to implement urgent reforms aimed at establishing robust controls to prevent a recurrence of the ghost names phenomenon.

This move is part of President Mahama’s anti-corruption initiative, which aims to make corruption a high-risk endeavor. The President’s swift action is seen as a commitment to transparency and accountability in governance.