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Institutions Reject National Service Personnel
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- Category: Youth News
- Created on Wednesday, 18 September 2013 00:00
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Institutions Reject National Service Personnel
VARIOUS PUBLIC and Private Institutions in the Northern Region are rejecting some of the newly posted service personnel who have been assigned them in the region to undertake their mandatory National Service.
Among the organizations which have had course to kick out the mass posted personnel include the Savanna Accelerated Development Authority (SADA), Regional Offices of Lands Commission and the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT).
According to these departments, they had to turn away service personnel by virtue of the fact that their structures and facilities would not be able to contain the numbers assigned them and if compelled, the service personnel may be operating from under trees.
They indicated to DAILY GUIDE that aside the numbers overstretching their facilities, it would end up defeating the purpose of the National Service which is aimed at exposing the graduates to working experience.DAILY GUIDE’s checks at the Regional Secretariat of the revealed that 100 personnel were deployed to SADA out of which the organization could only afford to pick 19, whereas in the case of the Lands Commission, 2 of 19 personnel were accepted. The affected persons whose fate is currently in the balance were referred to the Service Secretariat for reposting; a move many described as unpleasant and frustrating.
Sections of the affected service personnel who spoke to DAILY GUIDE observed that aside the delay in beginning their service, it had the potential of robbing them the opportunity to receive their September 2013 allowances.
The situation according to heads of some of the affected decentralized departments who spoke to DAILY GUIDE could have been averted if the Service Secretariat had duly consulted them before deploring the personnel.
They indicated that the Service Secretariat is solely to be blamed for the lapses and fate of the service personnel. They added that although they shared in the plight of the service personnel considering the fact many had travelled from other parts of the country, there was absolutely nothing that could be done to help the situation.
Alhaji Gilbert Iddi, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SADA when contacted stated that he was not quite sure of the figure deployed to his outfit though SADA requested for service personnel.
He however indicated that even if the services of personnel would be required, it must cut across its operational areas of five regions across the Savanna ecological zone so that others could also benefit.
Alhaji Shaibu Abiwu, the Northern Regional Director of the Ghana National Service Scheme (GNSS) when contacted admitted the lapses regarding the postings, stating that Social Security and National Insurance Trust approached his outfit with such complaints and expressed surprise at the turn of events, saying that his outfit was yet to receive such complaints from other organizations.
He described most of the issues as very unfortunate but assured the affected personnel that they would be reposted to other departments who would be in need of their services, if their initial departments turn them down.
Alhaji Shaibu also revealed that there were supplementary requests from other departments which would not affect any personnel posting, adding the region requested for 7,284 personnel and was only given a little over 5,000.
Meanwhile, some service personnel in the Northern Region are advocating for decentralization of the registration process to ease pressure and frustration they have to go through daily with officials of the scheme.
The personnel say the centralization of the whole process in the regional capitals was too bureaucratic and needed to be decentralized to ensure swiftness and equity in the work.
Speaking to DAILY GUIDE, the Financial Controller of the University Students Association of Ghana (USAG), Alhassan Abdullah at the registration point at the Centre for Nation Culture in Tamale indicated that the process of registration was too cumbersome and needed to be streamlined.
Explaining the process of registration to this reporter, Mr Abdullah said one had to print his service letter from the internet, send it to the department he had been posted to after being approved, one then returned to the Regional Secretariat for endorsement of the service form.
He expressed worry at instances where people have to travel to hinterlands districts to access their department for approvals describing the entire processes as stressful and frustrating.
But Alhaji Shaibu Abiwu, who disagrees indicated that the process was being centralized because of fraudsters who hacked into their system to impersonate service personnel.
He described the suggestions as not feasible and feeble because the security and integrity of the scheme was being considered at the highest point before certain decisions are taken.
From Stephen Zoure, Tamale
