Agitated national service personnel in the Ashanti region have accused executives of conniving with regional director to squander their funds.

According to a press release by the aggrieved members, “Executives of the National Service Personnel Association, Ashanti Region, have in connivance with the Ashanti regional director of the National Service Scheme, Mr. Opoku Mensah “OMENS” diverted a whopping amount of money supposed to be used for programs and projects into personal accounts calling it Ex Gratia”.

“As far as the Ashanti Region is concerned, national service personnel waited and waited and are probably still waiting yet, no such thing as a 'week celebration' was held or seem to be coming off anytime soon,” a portion of the statement added.

The association is thus calling on anti-corruption bodies in the country to crack the whip on the National Service Secretariat and launch a probe into the matter to bring defaulters to book.

Read the full release below

“CHOP CHOP” AT THE NATIONAL SERVICE PERSONNEL ASSOCIATION, ASHANTI REGION (NASPA-ASHANTI) AS EXECUTIVES CONNIVE WITH NSS REGIONAL DIRECTOR, BAGGING HOME GARGANTUAN MONIES AS EX GRATIA.

Executives of the National Service Personnel Association, Ashanti Region, have in connivance with the Ashanti regional director of the National Service Scheme, Mr. Opoku Mensah “OMENS” diverted a whooping amount of money supposed to be used for programs and projects into personal accounts calling it Ex Gratia.

This alleged act of connivance and thievery is reported to be perpetuated by the director of the service scheme, Mr. Opoku Mensah, popularly known as OMENS. It should be noted that, the monies so bagged home by these executives and the director were dues paid by service personnel in fulfillment of the annual NASPA week celebration. On record, national service personnel nationwide were deducted GHC15 each from their June allowance to aid the organization of the week celebration. It is however pathetic that after these monies were deducted from especially about 17,800 personnel in the Ashanti region, there was nothing like a week celebration organized. It thus goes to mean that, those monies in the first place were not used for the purposes to which they were collected. As far as the Ashanti region is concerned, national service personnel waited and waited and are probably still waiting yet, no such thing as a week celebration was held or seem to be coming off anytime soon.

Again, though a week celebration was not organized, any well-meaning person would have expected that at least a program or project could have been undertaken to compensate personnel. Again, one would have thought that, after such whooping sums of monies were syphoned from the personnel, there would be no reason for these personnel to pay any monies again before having the opportunity to receive their service certificates. Rather pathetically, another unexplained Ghs2 is collected from personnel before certificate is collected. The general public will then begin to appreciate why the payment of Ghs2 could generate such chaos, that which led to the arrest and detention of one personnel who was bold to say he won’t pay that money but will collect his certificate.

Setting the facts straight, below is the amount of money each executive including the regional director bagged home as supposed ex gratia. Mr. Opoku Mensah, NSS Director – Ten Thousand Ghana Cedis (Ghs10,000)

Kwame Owusu Bampoe, President – Five Thousand and Six Hundred Ghana Cedis (Ghs5,600)

Frimpong Annoh Kofi, Vice President – Five Thousand and One Hundred Ghana Cedis (Ghs5,100)

Felicity Bio-Boahen, Women’s Commissioner – Four Thousand and Eight Hundred Ghana Cedis (Ghs4,800)

Dora Baffour Awuah, General Secretary – Four Thousand and Eight Hundred Ghana Cedis (Ghs4,800)

Stephen Kyenkyehene, Financial Secretary – Four Thousand and Eight Hundred Ghana Cedis (Ghs4,800)

Jacob Yeboah Boamah, Organizing Secretary – Four Thousand and Eight Hundred Ghana Cedis (Ghs4,800)

In sum total, these seven (7) “gang men” have successfully connived to bag home Ghc39,900 as what they call their ex gratia for only 7months of leadership, February 2018 to August 2018.

The questions we ask are; What work have they done to bag home these amounts of monies as ex gratias notwithstanding the stipulation of the NASPA constitution allowing for executives to be given ex gratia after the service year? Are they worth such a whooping amount of monies as ex gratia? For what work done as executives? What particular role did the director play to also bag Ghs10,000 home as ex gratia? And what ex gratia would that be for him?

EOCO, BNI, Special Prosecutor, CHRAJ, AG, all Media Stations and the General Public should find interest in this “chop chop” which if left to go unaccounted shall be very unfortunate. These agencies should equally be informed that, if there are any places in Ghana where corruption, thievery and daylight robbery could be found, the National Service Scheme (NSS) and the National Service Personnel Association (NASPA) should not be overlooked not forgetting the infamous NSS/NASPA/GLICO Insurance Policy. In any case, the ongoing illegal collection of unaccounted Ghs2 by the Ashanti regional National Service Secretariat before personnel are given their certificates should be halted by the appropriate legal and law enforcement agencies.

Cc:

All Media Houses

Attorney General’s Department.

Special Prosecutor.

EOCO.

CHRAJ.

BNI.

National Service Scheme, Headquarters

National Service Personnel, A/R.

General Public.