35,000 Names expunged from NSS payroll

The National Service Scheme (NSS) has cleared 3,500 names of non- personnel from its payroll leading to a reduction in the number of NSS personnel on the payroll from 75,000 to 40,000 during the 2015/16 service year.

This has saved the country an estimated GH¢1,225,000 every month, facilitated by the implementation of the e-zwich payment system.

The Minister of Education, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyeman, made this known at a short ceremony at the NSS secretariat in Accra yesterday to officially hand over 18 vehicles to the management of the service.

'More efficient systems have been introduced by the NSS management which have made it possible for names to be cleared from the payroll considerably,' she indicated.

Presentation of vehicles
Professor Opoku-Agyeman presented the keys to the vehicles to the Executive Director of the NSS, Dr. Michael Kpesa-Whyte, and urged the management to put them to good use.

The vehicles, which were made up of 16 pick-ups, a Land Cruiser and a Toyota Camry, are estimated to cost GH¢3 million.

Dr Kpesa-Whyte thanked the government for the kind gesture and said the vehicles would facilitate the operations of the NSS.

'These vehicles are the fruits of our hard work as management of NSS which has resulted in the fight to stop all forms of malfeasance and corruption. I think we are benefiting because we have succeeded in plugging all slippages in the system which has saved the state some money,' he said.

He said some of the vehicles would be sent to the regions while others would be kept at the secretariat for purposes of monitoring and operation.

Removal of bottlenecks
Dr Kpesa-Whyte indicated that all middlemen and intermediaries who hitherto stampeded the efficient operation of the scheme had been eliminated.

'As of now, there are no longer regional or district interference in the payment of allowances to the NSS personnel. Through collaboration with stakeholders and the use of the e-zwich payment regime, the money is paid directly to the NSS personnel,' he said.