The Director-General of the Authority, Ruth Dela Seddoh, has revealed that 10 staff members from the University for Development Studies (UDS), Ghana Communications Technology University (GCTU), and Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED) have been arrested in connection with registration irregularities.
According to the NSA boss, the arrests follow irregularities that have been uncovered in three tertiary institutions.
Ruth Dela Seddoh added that some NSA staff have also been taken into custody.
The arrests follow the rollout of a new centralised management system designed to eliminate ghost names from the scheme.
Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, December 15, the Director-General of the Authority, Ruth Dela Seddoh, detailed, “The investigations uncovered a number of serious irregularities being perpetuated in these institutions. Ten members of staff have been arrested and are under investigation by the security agencies.
The NSA announced that an internal investigation uncovered irregularities in their system, leading to 1,840 people being suspended and 8,105 names flagged.
According to the NSA, 1,840 individuals have been completely suspended pending conclusion of further investigations.
Ghana Communication Technology University, The University of Development Studies (UDS), and Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development have been fingered as the three tertiary institutions where the irregularities were identified.
Ruth Dela Seddoh, added, “The number of students who have officially graduated from the schools, and we compare that with the number of students that they have submitted to us. And so when you do that, you realise that some schools are complicit in this whole thing, and I must emphasise that it is a whole huge cartel.
“Due to the outcome of a very detailed, thorough and comprehensive investigation, we made shocking discoveries that resulted in the flagging of 8,105 individuals in the system.
Let me repeat, we made a shocking discovery that resulted in us flagging 8,105 individuals in the system, and 1,840 individuals have been completely suspended pending conclusion of further investigations by the security agencies.
“The investigations uncovered a number of serious irregularities being perpetuated in three tertiary institutions. University of Development Studies (UDS), Ghana Communications Technology University, Akenten Appiah Minka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development. The outcome of the investigation, 10 members of staff from the various institutions have been arrested and are under investigation with the security agencies.”
Ruth Dela Seddoh further explained the shutdown of the portal after two extensions.
She added, “This timeline was not arbitrary. So, for the many people who think that it was just arbitrary on our part to shut the portal, that was not the intention.
“It is because there were so many other things that we have to do subsequent to this phase. It was a carefully structured process, and enforcing the deadline was also critical to ensure accurate deployment records, confirm the physical presence of personnel at their stations, and eliminate ghost or fraudulent registration.
Because after this validation, we were to subject them again to a re-validation, and facilitate the timely payment of allowances to verified personnel”.