National Service personnel stranded

Some graduates from tertiary institutions who just completed their one year compulsory national service are stranded at their places of service due to suspension of the payment of their allowances, the GNA has gathered.

The National Service Secretariat (NSS) in September 2013 deployed more than 70,000 service persons to serve in the education, health and other sectors for the 2013/2014 service year with a monthly allowance of GH¢ 247.00 which was increased to GH¢ 350 in January.

Per the conditions of national service, Service persons were supposed to be paid their July allowances when the month ended to be followed by the payment of that of August plus transportation back to their various homes and to proceed on leave in August.

However, information reaching GNA in Cape Coast showed that payment of July allowances began about three weeks ago but lasted for only a week, leaving those who later went to the district offices with their endorsed confirmation of duty forms for payment disappointed.

Officers of the Service could neither give reasons for the suspension nor say when payment would resume but directed the frustrated service persons to a notice which read “Payment of July allowance has been suspended by order from the NSS head office. Allowance to be paid in addition to August allowance.”

But a source told GNA that the suspension was due to investigations being conducted by the Bureau for National Investigations (BNI) on issues raised by the Auditor General indicting the Service for failing to account for GH¢ 83,137 in unclaimed allowances due service personnel.

The Auditor General in its 2014 report had stated among others that the unclaimed allowances which cover the period between 2002 and 2005 were not returned to the Consolidated Fund.

GNA investigations in the districts revealed that the suspension of payment of the allowances had left many personnel stranded with particularly many of those in the remote areas still at their places of service struggling to survive whilst awaiting for the remaining two months allowances to enable them return home.

The suspension, however, had affected only those in the government sector since their colleagues in the private sector were paid their July allowances promptly with some even receiving their August allowances as well.

Some of the agitated personnel have threatened to stage a demonstration to get government’s attention.

In an interview with the GNA on condition of anonymity, a service person who was posted to Tamale said she cannot go back to Accra and later return to Tamale to collect her allowance because she would end up spending it all on transport.

“I have gone for loan from my pastor to enable me stay here and would repay whenever NSS decides to pay me but I hope it is soon” she said.

Asked what she would be doing while waiting for the payment, she said she was still at post.

Another service person said “it is unfair that the money has been delayed and no one is giving us any assurance as to when the money will be paid. We travelled back to the place of posting only to be told payment had been suspended. What if I didn’t have money to go back home?”

“No one is willing to say anything and this is annoying and worrying. Whatever the challenge may be at least NSS should come out and tell us something instead of letting us walk to the offices only to be told it is not ready”, another person registered his disappointment.

In spite of the problem, the secretariat is in the process of deploying another batch of service persons for the 2014/2015 academic year.