The Concerned National Service Personnel Association has given the National Service Personnel Association (NASPA) a two-week ultimatum to refund the GH¢60 deducted from the allowances of national service personnel, despite NASPA’s decision to suspend the deductions.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra, President of the association, Samuel Ye-largi, said suspending the deduction does not fully resolve the concerns of service personnel, adding that issues of transparency, accountability and refunds remain outstanding.
He called on NASPA to refund all GH¢60 deductions already taken from personnel across the country and publish the total amount collected together with a detailed financial statement explaining how the funds have been utilised.
The group also raised concerns over the compulsory GH¢100 deduction for the purchase of NASPA cloth, arguing that the long existence of the practice does not automatically make it lawful or transparent.
According to the association, NASPA must explain the legal basis for the compulsory deduction, whether service personnel were consulted before the decision was taken, the procurement process used in selecting suppliers, the total value of the contract and the reasons behind any change of supplier.
The group further demanded that NASPA make the contract and related procurement documents available to the public to promote accountability.
Mr Ye-largi warned that unless NASPA refunds the deducted funds and provides the requested information within two weeks, the matter will not be considered resolved.
“What we are demanding here is the refund of the 100 cedis which was deducted from our allowance to cater for cloth, and we are calling on NASPA to immediately refund the 60 cedis that they deducted from the poor NSS person,” he said.
The dispute follows NASPA’s earlier decision to suspend the GH¢60 deduction, but concerned personnel insist that suspension alone is not enough without a full refund and explanation of how the deductions were handled.
