The recent audit report into the “ghost names” scandal at the National Service Authority (NSA) has revealed shocking details of how persons whose ages made them ineligible for national service were registered and paid.
According to the report, exclusively seen by The Fourth Estate, personnel aged over 100 years—and some as old as 1,027 years—received a total of GH¢115,037.24. Others between zero and 10 years were paid GH¢889,977.77 through 1,570 transactions. Cumulatively, persons aged between zero and 17 years received GH¢1,313,114.29, while those aged between 61 and 100 years were paid GH¢545,401.51.
The audit also revealed extreme anomalies, noting that records included negative ages, such as -3,968 years, who were enrolled and paid allowances.
The specifics of age groups, number of transactions, and amounts paid are as follows:
| Age Range | No of Transactions | Amount paid | Group Sum |
| Less than 1 Yr | 26 | 15,178.50 | 1,313,144.29 |
| 0 – 10 Yrs | 1570 | 889,977.77 | |
| 11 – 17 Yrs | 778 | 407,988.02 | |
| 61 – 70 Yrs | 765 | 414,820.30 | |
| 71 – 80 Yrs | 194 | 103,399.90 | 660,438.75 |
| 81 – 90 Yrs | 31 | 16,068.52 | |
| 90 – 100 Yrs | 28 | 11,112.79 | |
| Btn 100 & 1027 Yrs | 215 | 115,037.24 | |
| TOTAL | 3,607 | 1,973,583.04 | 1,973,583.04 |
Source: NSA Audit Report
These findings confirm details from The Fourth Estate’s investigations published several months ago, which reported that the NSA database was inflated with over-aged persons who had been registered and posted as service personnel.
For instance, the investigations revealed that 93-year-old Nimatu Salifu was listed as a UDS graduate and deployed to Kpiyagi D/A Primary School in the Upper West Region during the 2022/2023 service year. In the same year, 91-year-old Ruth Abdulai, supposedly a Development Studies graduate from UDS, was posted to Adakura Primary School in the Upper East Region.
Following the investigations, the then leadership of the NSA defended the Authority. On December 16, 2024, it issued a statement refuting the allegations of ghost names, stating:
“Following the series of publications with bizarre allegations against the Authority, the Management of the Authority conducted a quick review of the system and found all the allegations to be untrue.”
Henry Nana Boakye, a former Deputy Executive Director of the NSA (February 2017 – September 2018), also criticized The Fourth Estate’s reporting, claiming it was “shoddy work” and “lazy journalism.” He argued that the NSA system was capable of preventing the existence of ghost names, contrary to the publication’s claims.
Background
Earlier this year, The Fourth Estate’s exposé on the NSS scandal revealed that ghost names had been padded into the NSA database and postings were manipulated, causing the government to pay millions of cedis to personnel who only existed on paper. The investigation raised questions about value-for-money, data security, and the institutional integrity of the CSMP/Metric App.
The findings prompted the Office of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice to conduct their own investigations, which revealed that top-level executives of the NSA and private sector vendors had mismanaged over GH¢548 million through ghost names. This led to widespread public demand for accountability and probity.
In response, the Office of the President, through the Ministry of Youth and Empowerment, ordered the immediate suspension of the CSMP/Metric App to allow a comprehensive technical and forensic review.
Source: The Fourth Estate
