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The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has criticized government for failing to pay National Service Personnel (NSPs) their allowances for March and April.
The MP described as ‘unfair’ and ‘insensitive’ government’s delay in releasing funds to clear arrears for the two months in these crunch economic times.
“How does government expect these vulnerable personnel, most of whom have been posted far away from home to survive under the current cost of living crisis?”, he questioned.
He added that “they [NSPs] signed up for National Service not National Suffering.”
Read also – NSS: January allowance finally paid; February in the offing
Mr. Ablakwa rather called for an increment in the meagre GHc559 to enable service personnel ‘survive’ as prices of goods and services keep soaring.
“I would have thought government would in the face of prevailing harsh economic circumstances be increasing the current measly allowances and not delaying payments once again”, the North Tongu MP wrote on his Facebook wall.
Revealing that he donated his salary to National Service Personnel (NSP) in his constituency, the lawmaker advocated that government prioritizes paying NSPs first before public sector workers.
“I call on government to clear all arrears immediately. As I appealed the last time I had to donate my salaries to personnel in my beloved constituency, government should first pay personnel at the end of the month before paying public sector workers as has always been the tradition for decades.”
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa’s remarks come barely two months after NSPs complained bitterly about the delay in payment noting that they are experiencing a lot of hardships after their January and February allowances failed to be paid on time.
Management of the scheme, in a March 23 release, expressed regret for the delay while assuring timely payment in the coming months but that hasn’t been the case so far.
