4 months without allowance, NSS personnel in Atebubu surviving on gari

Correspondence from Bono East

Some National Service Personnel in the Atebubu-Amantin Municipality in the Bono East Region have recounted the hardship they are enduring as a result of months without their monthly stipend.

The service personnel numbering over forty (40) say they are forced to rely on gari with salt for survival.

Recounting their experience to Ghanaweb, the personnel revealed that they have not received a penny for the months of February, March, April, and June even though many of their colleagues have been duly paid.

Osborn Choice, one of the affected personnel, told Ghanaweb in an interview that life has been very challenging and unbearable for them without the stipend.

Osborn revealed that most of them are struggling to pay rent, utilities and even afford a square meal a day as the monthly stipend is their only source of livelihood.

“We are facing a serious challenge as far as the payment of our monthly stipend as service personnel is concerned. Some of us, about forty in number, have not been paid our allowances for four months. Life has not been easy without the monthly allowance so we are forced to rely on Gari with salt to survive.”

The President of the National Service Personnel Association (NASPA), Alhassan Mohammed Shuaib, when contacted via phone corroborated the story and revealed that some of the personnel have not been paid as far back as October 2019.

He decried how efforts to remedy the situation at the regional secretariat have yielded no results and appealed for immediate rectification of the situation as the affected individuals are going through a lot of hardships.

When contacted on the issue, the Municipal National Service Coordinator, Mr. Godslove Osei admitted being aware of the challenge but would not comment further as he said the issue is in the domain of his regional boss.

Meanwhile, independent investigations carried out by Ghanaweb indicate that the said anomaly is not peculiar to the Atebubu-Amantin Municipality alone as service personnel in Nkoranza, Kintampo, Techiman and Yeji are facing similar challenges.