It Is Wickedness To Pay GHc715 NSS Allowance - Edem Agbana To Govt

Former Deputy National Youth Organiser of the National Democratic Congress, Edem Agbana, referred to the increase in allowance for National Service Personnel to GHC 715.57 as 'wickedness'.

According to him, the current rates of inflation and the dollar should prompt the government to pay each service member at least 1,500 Ghanaian cedis.

"It is unconscionable to increase the allowance to Gh715 when the government has the ability to pay the personnel Gh1,500," he said.

In a statement released by the National Service Scheme, the government has approved an increase in the monthly allowance for NSS personnel from Gh559.04 to Gh715.57, effective January 2023.

Mr. Agbana told Nana Jantuah of Nhyira FM on Kuro Yi Mu Nsem that the GHC159 increase is meagre.

The Ketu North parliamentary candidate anticipated that the government would raise the NSS allowance to at least Gh1,500 to make the personnel more comfortable.

"Transport fees, food, and other things are now expensive, and Gh715 cannot last even two weeks for the personnel," he added.

He explained that the NDC government increased the National Service Scheme allowance from GHC 350 to GHC 559 in 2016 at a dollar conversion value of $159, whereas the current GHC 715 is equivalent to $62 in dollars.

"The value of Gh559 is significantly greater than the value of Gh715 at this time, which is an insult to the National Service Scheme personnel," he continued.