By: Sarah Baafi
Investigations into the National Service Authority (NSA) have uncovered a shocking case of payroll fraud involving individuals over 90 years old listed as national service personnel. The findings, revealed by The Fourth Estate, show that the NSA’s digital system, which was initially praised for blocking ghost names, has been manipulated to facilitate widespread financial fraud.
Among the most strange discoveries were Nimatu Salifu, 93, and Ruth Abdulai, 91, who were listed as graduates of the University for Development Studies (UDS). Salifu was deployed to Kpiyagi D/A Primary School in the Upper West Region, while Abdulai was posted to Adakura Primary School in the Upper East Region during the 2022/2023 service year. Another name, Mahamadu Ali, aged 82, was listed as a UDS graduate and posted to Anyinabrim Anglican School in Sefwi Wiawso in the Western North Region.
The investigation also revealed that thousands of fake entries were added to the NSA payroll using fraudulent student index numbers. For instance, a single name, Abubakar Fuseni, appeared 226 times on the payroll, all claiming identical qualifications from UDS. These entries were flagged as fake by university officials. Similarly, Collins Benneh, supposedly a graduate from the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), was assigned an index number that UEW confirmed was invalid.
Sources familiar with NSA operations disclosed that mandatory validation processes were bypassed, allowing ghost names to be pre-approved for payment without proper verification. This manipulation enabled fictitious personnel to drain public funds intended for genuine national service members.
The revelations have sparked outrage across Ghana, with President John Dramani Mahama ordering immediate investigations into the scandal. A headcount conducted by the Ministry of Finance in 2024 uncovered 81,885 ghost names among 180,030 entries submitted for allowance payments. This discrepancy saved the government GHS 226 million, which was redirected to pay verified personnel.
The scandal has raised serious concerns about oversight and accountability within the NSA. Civil society organizations are calling for urgent reforms to restore integrity to the national service scheme and ensure those responsible for the fraud are brought to justice.
One Response