Kwesi Pratt Jnr, Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper, has lauded Gifty Oware-Mensah, former Deputy Executive Director of the National Service Scheme (NSS), for returning to the country to face law enforcement agencies over allegations levelled against her in connection with the NSS ghost names saga.
He condemned the assertion by a section of the public that she should have been arrested at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) terminal on arrival on March 4, 2025.
In his estimation, an arrest would be utterly unnecessary since she has availed herself for questioning, following calls for investigations regarding the ghost names saga during her tenure in office.
“A number of allegations have been levelled against her. She voluntarily come back to the country. Why would you arrest her at the terminal?
“She has not been found guilty in any court or even been charged. So, at this stage I expect that you respect her full rights,” Pratt said on Metro TV on March 5, 2025.
He indicated that if there were any pieces of evidence or questions against her, she should be respectfully invited for questioning.
“In fact, the reports from various media outlets suggested that she had absconded from justice, but her return shows her confidence. She appears to be confident that nothing will be found against her. I think she should avail herself to law enforcement agencies for all the opportunities she can get to clear her name,” he said.
Recently, The Fourth Estate, a project of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) released a document that alleged that the government had uncovered a significant discrepancy in the National Service payroll, revealing 81,885 suspected ghost names.
This figure represents the difference between the actual number of active personnel and the payroll data submitted by the previous management of the National Service Authority (NSA).
VPO/AE
Meanwhile, watch this Ghana Month special edition of People and Places as we hear the story of how the head of Kwame Nkrumah’s bronze statue was returned after 43 years, below:
