NSS rot: Preliminary report exonerates board

A preliminary report by the National Security on the massive corruption at the National Service Scheme did not indict the board, Deputy Education Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has revealed.

National Security's report “did not raise concern about the board either”, Mr. Ablakwa told Evans Mensah on Joy FM's "Top Story" on Tuesday.

The scheme has been rocked with a scandal regarding the payment of nearly Ghȼ8 million to 22,000 non-existent national service persons in July, 2014.

But Mr. Ablakwa has dismissed calls for the board of the scheme to step aside because they could be culpable in the scandal.

“We do not have cause to believe that the board will intervene or influence the ongoing investigations,” Okudzeto Ablakwa stressed.

However, he stated that the Education Ministry is “disturbed” by the revelations at the scheme, reinforcing the need for serious “restructuring” at the secretariat.

The Deputy Education Minister today met the board of the National Service Scheme and also held a staff durbar to ensure that there is “normalcy” there.

He explained that the meeting was to ensure that actions the ministry asked the board to carry out – such as getting management to step aside to be replaced by an interim one – have been followed.

He also indicated that government has no intention of terminating the Scheme at the moment.

Mr Ablakwa assured that service persons will not be affected by the recent development. Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com| Isaac Essel | [email protected]