SONA 2025: Ghanaians React As President Mahama Orders NSA Ghost Names Scandal Culprits to be Arrested

President John Dramani Mahama has taken a tough stand against corruption in a post seen by GHone TV, stating unequivocally that anybody implicated in the NSA ghost names affair will face consequences.

On February 27, 2025, he delivered his first State of the Nation Address (SONA), announcing that Gifty Mensah, the previous CEO of the National Service Secretariat (NSS), and other persons involved in the scam had been declared wanted.

The fraud, which involved hundreds of fictitious names being added to the national service payroll, resulted in millions of cedis being wrongly distributed.

Many Ghanaians were angered by the revelations, demanding for heavy penalties against those responsible.

President Mahama told the people that the stolen funds would be recovered and used for national development.

"I've ordered that the perpetrators in the NSA ghost names incident be proclaimed sought.

This fraud cannot be ignored, and we will recover the funds and use them to improve the country. "The various agencies involved have been given the green light to bring the perpetrators to justice," he said forcefully.

Ghanaians responded strongly to the announcement, with many resorting to social media to express their views.

Some praised the president for taking action, but others questioned whether the perpetrators would ever be brought to justice.

@Amuzu commented, “Finally, someone is taking corruption seriously. Let’s see if they actually arrest and prosecute them.”

@slygh wrote, “These corrupt officials have stolen enough from the country. They must face the law and return every pesewa they took.”

@nigga3 commented, “It’s good to declare them wanted, but will we ever see them in court? We’ve seen too many of these announcements with no real results.”

@joejo commented “How did they manage to put so many fake names on the payroll? Who was supervising all this?”

@abdulk added, “If Mahama can actually bring these people to justice, he will earn the trust of many Ghanaians. We are tired of empty promises.”

With the president's hard attitude, people are waiting to see if the named persons would be detained and prosecuted. The NSA ghost names controversy has rocked public trust, and this could be a watershed moment in Ghana's anti-corruption efforts.