Three months unpaid NSS allowances making life difficult for personnel

National Service personnel have lamented over three (3) months of unpaid allowances, which have made their daily lives difficult. The NSS personnel, as a result of the unpaid allowances, are not able to take care of their basic needs, which is negatively affecting their work and effectiveness at work.

While some personnel are unable to report to work, others have to buy on credit or rely on family support to survive at their posts.

Although the National Service Secretariat (NSS) has promised to resolve the issues causing the delay several times, there seems to be no solution in sight.

It promised to pay personnel on time and also indicated it was going to pay the arrears by the end of the second week of February; however, the unpaid allowances have still not hit the accounts of the personnel.

Some of the National Service personnel have spoken to JoyNews in a news report on the current demotivating development.

They expressed deep concern about the adverse impact of the unpaid allowances on their lives.

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“The non-payment of the NSS allowance is really affecting me. Here lies the case where you have to take transport, spending GH¢60 every day when we come to work in and out.

“Sometimes we don’t have enough for meals. We don’t know what to do. We have to ask people for money.”

A report by JoyNews revealed that the NSS has changed the payment date three times since January, and the reasons for the delay remain unclear.

Benjamin, a National Service Personnel, voiced his concerns, highlighting his dependency on his grandfather for daily financial support.

“Looking at it, for more than three months, the government has decided not to pay us. Some of us are relying on our grandparents every day.”

However, a statement from the National Service Secretariat said the delay in payment is attributed to service personnel not submitting their verification slips on time.

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The statement explained, “To ensure value for money, we had to undergo a strenuous validation process, and many personnel delayed submission.

“Today’s youth are not like us when we were doing our national service, adhering strictly to deadlines.”

It is not clear when the three months of unpaid NSS allowances will be paid.

The longer it takes for already delayed NSS allowances to be paid the more worrying the situation will be and the likelihood that many of the personnel may abandoned their posts.