Mahama ordered a probe into the corruption scandal surrounding ghost names at the National Service Authority

President John Dramani Mahama has directed the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) to conduct an immediate investigation into the National Service Authority (NSA) operations following the uncovering of 81,885 suspected ghost names on its payroll.

In a press statement issued by the president’s office on February 12, it is noted that the variances were identified after a headcount of active National Service personnel, pioneered by the Ministry of Finance, as a requirement for clearing allowance arrears dating back to August 2024.

Upon completion of the headcount, the Ministry of Finance released GHS 226,019,224 to cover allowance arrears for 98,145 actual National Service Personnel.

“The Ministry of Finance has, upon completing the headcount, released an amount of GHS 226,019,224 covering allowance payment arrears for 98,145 actual National Service Personnel.

This figure is 81,885 less than the 180,030 names presented by the previous management of the NSA for allowance payment in 2024.

In response to these findings, President Mahama has tasked the new management of the NSA to implement urgent reforms to establish adequate controls and prevent the recurrence of ghost names on the payroll.

The new payroll disagreement through an investigative piece by the Fourth Estate has motivated President Mahama to take decisive action to ensure transparency and accountability within the Authority.