Sulemana Braimah made this revelation on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, June 14.

Braimah expressed disbelief at the situation, stating, “What for me is quite strange… if I’m not mistaken, the National Service Authority is still using the same metric app that allowed for this scandal to happen.”

His comments come amid ongoing investigations into a public sector fraud case, where senior officials allegedly siphoned state funds through 81,885 ghost names on the NSS payroll.

The MFWA director painted a damning picture of institutional negligence, revealing that red flags were raised as early as 2017 but systematically ignored.

“We had regional directors who were complaining during management meetings,” Mr Braimah recounted, explaining how officials reported finding thousands of service personnel mysteriously pre-approved in their regions without proper authorisation.

“Per the mechanism we are operating, the regional director is supposed to give final authorization after validation,” he worried.

“But in that meeting, what we are told is ‘we will look into it,’ and nothing happens. It continued all the way until these discoveries were made.”

The scheme reportedly peaked between 2022 and 2023, with Braimah disclosing that “that year alone, almost GH¢350 million was lost to ghost names.”

While some attempts were made to address the system after the scandal broke, Braimah noted it was too little, too late: “They started to fidget with the system here and there. But by then, the damage had been caused.”

Most alarmingly, Mr Braimah questioned why the NSS, even under new leadership, persists with the same compromised system.

“It’s really strange that the National Service Authority, under a new leadership, would decide that it is the same metric app that was used for this scandalous exercise,” he remarked, highlighting ongoing risks to public funds.

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Mr. Dapaah blamed these groups of using their influence to create fear and panic in the country.

The Minister feared the development may jeopardize the country’s security ahead of the 2024 general elections.

Reacting to this on Adom FM’s morning show, Dwaso Nsem show Friday, the MFWA boss said Mr. Dapaah’s statement is contrary to the reality on the ground.

“I don’t think people have been making statements to incite coup as the Minister said. Rather people reference the coups that have occurred in some African countries, and advise government to take the necessary steps to avoid such a situation here. I think he did not go through what he read,” he said.

Mr. Braimah advised the National Security Minister to leave the Information Ministry and other government Public Relations outfits to do their job.

He maintained that, Ghanaians have the right to air their frustrations and government on the other hand must address them.

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According to him, even though the President attempted to speak to the relevant issues affecting Ghanaians, he missed the most salient points.

Reacting to the President’s speech on the AM Show on Monday, he said the President’s speech was laced with his regular ‘flowery promises’ devoid of substance.

“Under the circumstances, I didn’t expect that the President would basically come and tell us what we already know and the usual flowery language and promises and all of that and actually now telling us or letting us know how quick they are going to get the IMF deal.

I think what happened was that the President touched on some many things except the real problems we face. He did not address the problems that we face”, he told host Benjamin Akakpo.

Noting his reservations about the President’s speech, Mr Braimah also added his voice to the calls for the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta to be sacked.

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According to him, the Finance Minister has lost credibility and therefore has no business being at the helm of the country’s treasury.

The remarks by the MFWA boss add to the series of criticisms that have so far greeted the President’s address.

In a related development, award-winning investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure, says the value of the local currency is weightier than President Akufo-Addo’s address to Ghanaians on Sunday.

In a reactionary tweet after the address on Sunday evening, he said, “CONCLUSION: The value of the Cedi is far higher than the value of the president’s address”.

Addressing the nation on Sunday evening, President Akufo-Addo admitted to Ghana’s economic crisis, describing it as a ‘historic’ development.

In his delivery, he conceded to the country’s ballooning debt stock, rising inflation, free fall of the local currency, and the depletion of macroeconomic variables.

According to him, the situation is due to many ‘malevolent forces’ which are currently working together.

He however reiterated the commitment of the government to dealing with the present economic decline.

“We are in a crisis, I do not exaggerate when I say so. I cannot find an example in history when so many malevolent forces have come together at the same time.

But, as we have shown in other circumstances, we shall turn this crisis into an opportunity to resolve not just the short-term, urgent problems, but the long-term structural problems that have bedeviled our economy”, the President said.

The President added, “For us, in Ghana, our reality is that our economy is in great difficulty. The budget drawn for the 2022 fiscal year has been thrown out of gear, disrupting our balance of payments and debt sustainability, and further exposing the structural weaknesses of our economy”.

Touching on the measures to salvage the ailing economy, President Akufo-Addo disclosed that all government officials will continue to take a pay cut of 30%; including the President and the Vice President.

He also added that the Bank of Ghana is working assiduously with other relevant state agencies to keep the local currency from depleting further against other major trading currencies across the globe.

Regarding the local currency, he also stressed that persons who falsely speculate about the fall of the Cedi will be dealt with.

In conclusion, the President said he will consistently update Ghanaians regularly on measures by his government to put the economy on a good footing.

But ace journalist, Manasseh Azure believes, the President’s speech was ’empty’.

Meanwhile, some Ghanaians have also taken to social media to berate the President’s address; describing it as ’empty’.

Others have however lauded his address and praised the measures taken to revive the economy.