The Insider Job: How a Deputy NSS Boss Became a 'Ghost' Service Person

A bombshell report from the Auditor-General has uncovered a staggering case of impropriety at the very top of the National Service Scheme (NSS). The investigation reveals that a former Deputy Executive Director of the National Service Authority, Mrs. Gifty Oware-Mensah, was unlawfully signed up as a National Service Person (NSP) while she was a full-time, salaried executive at the same institution.

This isn't just a minor oversight; it's a direct and brazen violation of the National Service Act, which explicitly prohibits public officers from receiving service allowances.

The Anatomy of a Brazen Violation

The 2021/2022 technical and forensic audit paints a damning picture of how this scheme was executed:

Manual Manipulation: Despite her high-ranking position, Mrs. Oware-Mensah (then known as Gifty Oware-Aboagye) was manually uploaded into the NSS payroll by an NSA officer, Adjei Robert Nii Laryea Kumah. This bypassed the standard automated systems designed to prevent such conflicts.

The "Ghost" Posting: She was formally posted to the Koblimahagu Sobriya Primary School in Tamale. However, the audit confirms she never once reported for duty.

Unauthorized Approval: Her enrolment was given the green light with a Personal Identification Number (PIN) approved by Mustapha Ussif. The catch? He was already the Minister for Youth and Sports at the time and had no legal authority to authorize such PINs for the NSS.

Zero Verification: In a system that requires 14 mandatory biometric and physical validations, Mrs. Oware-Mensah completed none of them.

The Payoff and a Wider Web of Abuse

For this non-existent service, she received allowances totalling GH¢6,708.48. The audit found these funds were automatically deducted and paid to a vendor through the NSS's "MarketPlace" platform for a purported credit facility, raising questions about the diversion of public funds.

Alarmingly, this was not an isolated incident. The report flags this case as part of a much larger pattern of systemic abuse.

On a single day in March 2021, an NSS officer manually uploaded 4,557 names of postgraduate students from KNUST. Of these, only 19 were legitimately approved by the required regional directors. Yet, a staggering 2,802 individuals were paid a combined GH¢899,349.67 without any evidence they performed any service.

A System Begging for Reform

The auditors pinpointed the root causes: manual overrides of the system, weak internal controls, and a failure to enforce automated checks. The "MarketPlace" scheme was also highlighted as a major vulnerability, being used to divert funds without proof of goods or services delivered.

The Auditor-General described these actions as a "grave breach" of the law, leaving the scheme exposed to "unauthorised payments, ghost enrolments, and significant financial losses."

The Auditor-General's Demands for Action

The report doesn't just identify problems; it demands concrete action:

Full Recovery: Recover all unearned allowances from Mrs. Oware-Mensah and other implicated individuals.

Financial Surcharge: Surcharge Mrs. Oware-Mensah and two officials who authorized the payments—Osei Assibey Antwi and Eric Nyarko—with the full GH¢899,349.67, plus interest.

Terminate the "MarketPlace": Shut down the hire-purchase scheme, which falls outside the NSS's core mandate.

Strengthen Systems: Implement robust automated controls to prevent public officers from being enrolled.

Disciplinary Action: Sanction all officials who bypassed verification procedures.

This case is a stark reminder of how weak oversight and manual interventions can be exploited. It underscores an urgent need for the National Service Authority to embrace transparency, strengthen its digital walls, and ensure that public funds are used to support genuine service personnel, not line the pockets of those in power.

https://www.pulse.com.gh/articles/news/auditor-general-exposes-how-gifty-oware-illegally-enrolled-herself-as-nss-personnel-2025102908454105158