NATIONAL SERVICE PERSONNEL CRY FOR ACCOMMODATION

NATIONAL SERVICE PERSONNEL CRY FOR ACCOMMODATION

National Service Personnel Association (NASPA) in the Northern Region of Ghana say lack of accommodation facilities is forcing most of them to sleep on verandas and urged government and all stakeholders to find a permanent solution to the accommodation problem.

According to a statement read on behalf of NASPA members, about 7,249 service personnel were registered for the year 2010 and posted to all the 20 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in the Northern Region but that majority of them had been confronted with serious accommodation problems.

Ibrahim Abdul-Salam Mallam, Northern Regional President of the NASPA made the revelation at the launch of this year’s service week celebration marked in Tamale.

He noted that the extortion of huge sums of money from service personnel by Landlords/ladies in parts of the region had over the years hindered the wellbeing of particularly personnel from Southern Ghana posted to the area.

He therefore called for the early completion of the regional transit quarters project that had been abandoned due to lack of funds.

Mr. Abdul-Salam also mentioned countless problems associated with the online registration exercise, misplacement of priorities during postings and the undue delay in releasing forms for the National Voluntary Service Programme as other major constraints affecting service personnel and therefore called for remedial solutions.

“We propose that the nature of the online registration and manual processing of appointment letters should be streamlined starting from this year 2010/2011 service year, so that service personnel posted to the Northern Region would not be welcomed by verandas and corridors of departments,” he stressed.

Mr. Abdul-Salam further hinted that NASPA members had been denied their access to free medical care as enshrined in the National Service Scheme Constitution under article 15.

Speaking under the theme: “National Service In The Drive Towards A Better Ghana Agenda” Moses Bukari Mabengba, Northern Regional Minister urged the personnel to live exemplary lifestyles by avoiding alcoholism, absenteeism and lateness at work places.

He appealed to them not to be frightened by the level of deprivation caused by the numerous conflicts that had bedeviled the region and accept postings to the area.

Mr. Mabengba however condemned the regional service secretariat of abusing the National Voluntary Service Programme which he said had the tendency of affecting its sustainability.