The National Service Authority (NSA) has announced that eligible national service personnel who paid the GH¢41 registration fee under the old registration system could begin receiving their refunds by Monday or Tuesday.
Deputy Director-General in charge of Programmes and Operations, Lt Col Moses Dok Nach Kpeungu, said the refund would be limited to personnel who either attempted to register or successfully completed registration under the previous system.
“The GHC41 that they said we promised them a refund, it is true. That GHC41 basically is for those who attempted to register or who were successfully registered in the old system,” he said.
He explained that the refund process had taken time because the old registration database had to be audited before payments could be made.
According to him, President John Dramani Mahama directed that the previous registration system be shut down following concerns about its integrity, including suspected ghost names.
The Authority subsequently procured a new registration platform but had less than three weeks to establish the replacement system.
Lt Col Kpeungu said the NSA could not simply transfer the old database into the new platform without first verifying the records and determining which personnel had actually paid the registration fee.
“We needed to also liaise with the administrator of the previous system to ensure that we conduct an audit and then those who actually paid for it are given the refund,” he said.
“We are almost done with the audit, and I’m sure by Monday or Tuesday, they’ll get their monies.”
NSA denies unauthorised insurance deductions
The Deputy Director-General also rejected allegations that the NSA enrolled national service personnel in insurance schemes without their consent following complaints about monthly deductions of GH¢5.
He said insurance companies interacted directly with personnel at registration centres and offered them the opportunity to subscribe to their products.
“During the process of the registration, these insurance companies are also looking for clients so they move to the registration centres and they begin to engage them. They give them forms and they fill. Once you fill the form, it means that you have subscribed to it,” he said.
He acknowledged, however, that some personnel had complained that deductions continued after they had cancelled their subscriptions.
GH¢50 validation charge explained
Lt Col Kpeungu also clarified the purpose of the GH¢50 payment demanded at some validation centres, rejecting claims that the amount was solely a printing charge.
He said the money was intended to cover administrative arrangements required to operate the centres, including the provision of canopies, chairs and water for personnel waiting to be served.
“Nobody will say that you should pay 50 Ghana cedis for printing. How much is a sheet of paper?” he said.
“These are administrative costs. When you come to the registration centre, you need a canopy, you need chairs, you need water because some people come at 5am and sit there until maybe 12pm or 1pm.”
Zeus Atlas deductions under investigation
On the GH¢60 deduction associated with the Zeus Atlas capacity-building programme, Lt Col Kpeungu said the arrangement was initiated by the National Service Personnel Association (NASPA), rather than the NSA.
He said the NSA’s governing board ordered the deductions to be stopped and directed an investigation after concerns were raised.
“When the issue came up, the governing board of National Service instructed that we should cease deductions and then institute an investigation into the matter. We have started the investigation,” he said.
The Authority, he added, could not yet commit to refunding money already deducted because it was not the institution that contracted the company providing the programme.
“The authority is not the one that engaged them. It should be between NASPA and then the company,” he said.
NSA disputes arrears claims
Lt Col Kpeungu further disputed claims that national service personnel were owed two or three months of allowances.
He said the July allowance had been paid in August, meaning personnel were owed one month as of September.
“The July allowance was paid last month, which is August. So currently, in September, they are owed one month,” he said.
He explained that the payment process begins at the district level, where evaluation forms are completed and validated before being forwarded for processing.
The NSA was also working to process September allowances as well as other outstanding payments, including transport and travel-related claims, before personnel complete their service.
Lt Col Kpeungu said the Authority remained willing to engage national service personnel and address concerns surrounding registration, payments and deductions.
