‘We don’t intend to prosecute National Service defaulters’ - Executive Director

Executive Director for the National Service Scheme, Mustapha Yusif says the secretariat does not intend to prosecute anyone for failure to complete national service as being reported in the media.

According to him, the aim of setting up the NSS taskforce is to give such persons another chance to serve the country thereby ensuring that the law that establishes National Service is complied with by all adding that prosecution is the last resort.

“It’s not about jailing people but we are just at the point where we think that the laws that establish national service (act 426 of 1992 constitution) should be complied with,” he remarked

Speaking to Kwabena Kyenkyenhene Boateng on ’21 minutes with KKB’, Mr Yusif noted that it is an offence for a company to engage the services of persons who haven’t completed the one-year mandatory youth service.

“You have agencies that employ people who haven’t done their service and that is against the law. It is an offence for any company, whether private or public to engage persons who haven’t gone through national service and our act is very clear on that,” he added.

Mustapha Yusif further noted that the move is not aimed at denying employers of their workforce as employees who missed the opportunity to do their national service in the previous years would be posted to their current place of work when they register.



“Those who haven’t done national service would be given an opportunity to do it. We don’t even want to take them from you because they are already engaged and are working. All what we will do for them is to ensure that they register with us then we deploy them to the same employer”. He indicated.

He then cautioned all eligible persons who missed out on the opportunity of serving the country to comply with the new directive to avoid falling prey to the law.