Ablakwa donates two months salary to NSS personnel in his constituency

Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has donated his two months salary to the National Service Scheme (NSS) District Office in North Tongu to help cushion NSS personnel in his constituency.

The MP’s kind gesture comes in the wake of reports over the weekend that National Service personnel have not received their monthly allowances for the past two months.

The MP made this known in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

“Earlier today, I donated my entire two-month salary as MP (January and February 2022) to the North Tongu National Service Scheme District Office as my modest contribution to help cushion the 87 national service personnel posted to my beloved constituency who have not received their allowances from government for some three months,” the MP said in his Facebook post.

According to him, the Scheme’s Director in his constituency has since notified him that all 87 personnel have received their share of MoMo transfers.

“I really wish I was in the position to do more to alleviate the plight of these dedicated personnel who gladly agreed to serve their country in my largely rural holy district,” he noted.

The MP appealed to the government to expedite the payment of all accumulated arrears owed national service personnel.

He added that the paltry allowances of national service personnel must not be left out anytime salaries of public workers are processed.

The General Secretary of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS), Julius Kwame Anthony last Friday expressed frustration over the delay in the payment of allowance to National Service personnel across the country.

According to him, the failure of government to disburse the allowance over the last three months has posed a lot of challenges for service personnel, who are compelled to survive the hard way.

“It’s very tough having to do National Service at a cost to yourself. You’re paying your own transportation in and out, which the average is about GH¢11 cedis a day, if you’re using public transport everyday.

“And then you feed yourself. If you spend let’s say GH¢15 twice, that’s GH¢30. That’s GH¢41 in a day. And then you’re being given an allowance of GH¢559. If you do the calculation, you’re in a debt of GH¢671, if we measure on thirty days.

And still for three months, this has not been paid? What magic are national service personnel supposed to perform? Are we magicians?”, he quizzed.