Order NSS to immediately reverse plan to extort over GHC5.3million from students — Sulemana Braimah to Bawumia

The National Service Scheme (NSS) is facing backlash from civil society organizations over its decision to charge prospective national service personnel GHc40 to activate their enrollment onto the Scheme.

In a press release on Wednesday, June 19, the NSS announced that it had released PIN codes for over 133,000 final year university students and others eligible for national service for the 2024/25 service year.

The statement signed by its Executive Director Dr. Osei Assibey Antwi further noted that students would be required to pay GHc40 at any ADB Bank branch or GHc41 via MTN MoMo to complete their enrollment onto the Scheme.

This decision has drawn sharp criticism from Sulemana Braimah, Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA).

In a social media post, Braimah asked "Why should students who will be offering service to the nation be made to pay to activate their enrollment?

He further quizzed, “Just so that NSS will make a cool GHC5.3million without sweat?. I mean why? No this must be stopped immediately.”

The MFWA boss called on Vice President and NPP flagbearer Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to "order NSS to immediately reverse this plan to extort over GHC5.3million from students” because “NSS enrollment should be made free."

The MFWA boss argued that making national service enrollment contingent on any financial payment undermines the very spirit of national service as a civic obligation.