A daughter of the late Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia, former Prime Minister (PM) of Ghana, has recommended that persons involved in the “massive fraud” at the National Service Secretariat (NSS), should be made to refund the GHC 7.9 million and sentenced to life imprisonment.
“They should cough up the money, they should be put in jail with the doors locked and the keys thrown in the sea,” Nana Frema Busia fumed.
Speaking on Citi FM’s news analysis programme, The Big Issue, Frema Busia remarked that the recent startling corruption revelations from the scheme her father had introduced in December 1959 as a tool for youth patriotism and employment, were extremely disturbing and were tarnishing the legacy of her father.
“The fact that this scheme has dissipated into a massive fraud is really sad, sad, sad in my soul and I am sure that my father is turning in his grave,” she lamented.
[contextly_sidebar id=”borO64dz96UOzjlVgpVUwVRrK0p6pK2t”]An investigation by the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) into the activities of the NSS had showed that 22,612 non-existent national service persons in more than 100 districts across the country in July had each been paid an allowance of GH¢350 a month for a year amounting to GHC 7.9 million.
Further revelations have shown that in an attempt to cover up the scam, officials of the NSS, including the Executive Director of the Scheme, Alhaji Imoro, offered bribes to the BNI officials.
He, together with the other NSS officials indicted in the scandal have since been asked to step aside by the Governing Board of the Ghana National Service Scheme, who have promised to implement recommendations of the BNI, while investigations into the matter proceed.
“Whatever my father’s failings are or maybe, he did his best to try to introduce certain policies to curb corruption. The country is almost on its knees but everywhere you turn the first thing you try to do is to cheat the system. It’s incredible,” Frema Busia observed.
According to her, it is disheartening to note that a country with a huge Christian community is condoning acts of corruption which is impoverishing citizens.
She asked, “where is our Christianity, where is our brotherhood for each other?”
Frema Busia stressed the need for the laws of the nation be “activated” because “there is no law enforcement in this country…because there are no sanctions in this country for anything. You could do anything and get away with it.”
By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana