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President John Mahama has announced that his administration will soon introduce short military training as part of the National Service Scheme (NSS).
According to him, this initiative is aimed at instilling a sense of fitness and discipline among national service personnel as they serve the country.
Presenting the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Thursday, 26th February, President Mahama stated:
We will introduce short military training as part of our National Service Scheme. This will instil a sense of fitness and discipline in our youth. The administration of scholarships is another challenge, as it has been fraught with numerous issues.
In his address, the President also spoke about the ongoing investigation into the ghost name scandal involving former directors of the National Service Authority (NSA), which is being handled by the National Investigative Bureau (NIB).
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As part of the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) policy, he has directed an immediate investigation to bring those responsible to justice, describing the scandal as a brazen theft of state resources.
Mr Speaker, as part of our Operation Recover All Loot policy, I have already tasked our investigative bodies to ensure that the culprits involved in the National Service ghost name scandal are brought to justice. Such blatant theft of public funds must not go unpunished.
He further confirmed reports that some suspects have fled the country and stated that he has ordered their assets to be frozen.
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It is estimated that the fraudulent addition of over 80,000 ghost names could have earned the perpetrators more than 50 million Ghana cedis every month. Unfortunately, some of these suspects are believed to have absconded. I have directed that they be declared wanted and their assets traced and frozen.
The President also reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to creating job opportunities for Ghanaian youth to address the country's high unemployment rate.