National Service personnel to hit the street if...

About 9,000 outgoing national service personnel in the Greater Accra Region have threatened to hit the streets today, if National Security Council, according to the personnel, does not extend a one-week period of verification as part of an auditing exercise.

The deadline for the process is Friday, September 19 but most personnel are yet to complete the process, which has become a condition for the payment of July and August allowances.

The verification is being conducted by the Council in collaboration with the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI).

But some of the students complained to TV3 on Thursday that most of the requirements for the process were not fully made known to them.

“Without the NSS ID or your acceptance letter, you can’t sign for your allowance,” one frustrated personnel said. “That was not communicated. And so if you came here without any of these things you have to go home and get them.”

President of the National Service Personnel Association Vincent Ekow Assafuah said the deadline cannot be met given the slow pace of the process and if National Security sticks to its directive, members will hit the streets.

“We are sending a strong signal to the National Security Council to rescind their decision,” he said.

Ambrose Entsiwah Jnr, the Head of Public Relations of the National Service Scheme, however, hinted that if personnel are not able to complete verification, an extension may be granted.

“We should be able to arrive at some consensus and give them an extended date,” Mr Entsiwah said.