President John Dramani Mahama has directed the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) to launch an immediate probe into the operations of the National Service Authority following the discovery of 81,885 suspected ghost names on the institution’s payroll.
The fraudulent entries were uncovered during a headcount of active National Service personnel, initiated by the Ministry of Finance as part of measures to clear arrears on service allowances dating back to August 2024.
Following the verification exercise, the Ministry of Finance authorized the disbursement of GHS 226,019,224 to cover outstanding payments for 98,145 legitimate National Service personnel.
The revised figure revealed a significant discrepancy from the 180,030 names submitted by the Authority’s previous management, exposing a massive payroll inflation scheme.
In response, President Mahama has tasked the newly appointed leadership of the National Service Authority with implementing urgent reforms to strengthen payroll oversight and prevent future occurrences of ghost name fraud.
“The government is committed to ensuring accountability and prudent financial management. This investigation is necessary to restore credibility to the institution and protect public funds,” stated Felix Kwakye Ofosu, Minister of Government Communications and Spokesperson to the President.
