National Service Personnel in the Bolgatanga Municipality have resorted to taking loans from their schemes, mobile money quick loans with some borrowing from friends to survive as a result of government’s delay in paying National Service allowances for two months and some, four months amidst the hikes in prices and transport fares.
This was disclosed by the Bolgatanga Municipal President of the National Service Personnel Association, Mr. Maxwell Akan-uwe in a phone interview with host of the Community Watch Show on Word Fm in Zuarungu. Mr. Maxwell said Service personnel who have been posted to the Municipality and who have no external relations within the Municipality are living under difficult conditions amidst the hikes in food prices and transport fares especially.
“As president, i get calls and just yesterday, a personnel called me and said she was very stranded, she cant move and she came all the way from Accra and she has to rent, pay bills and foot her bills to work from Monday to Friday”
Mr. Maxwell disclosed that some of the personnel are so pressed that they have resorted to taking loans available to service personnel , mobile money quick loans with some basically borrowing from friends to survive because they have not been paid their allowances for two to four months.
” They are surviving by the grace of God. though some have been given flats to stay in, they will have to survive and some of them survive on their friends who are and some extended families who are here and some also call us to assist. Some also go to their portal to pick loan which comes with interest. Some of them also rely on MTN Quick loans. Some of them tell me they also borrow from friends”
Some Concerned Service personnel in an unsigned press release, expressed their dissatisfaction at the non-payment of their “ALLAWA ARREAS without prior notice”. The release said they are hard hit with the “astronomical and obnoxious increase in the prices of transport fares, data bundles, food stuffs, and other consumables.”
They therefore called on government to at least pay their stipends on time if it be increased.
” if our remuneration cant be increased, it should be paid on time”
A reporter with Word Fm, Wisdom Adekura, who is a service personnel also disclosed that some of the personnel also experience ductions when they go to load their E-Switch accounts without any explanation some times up to about Gh100.00
Mr. Maxwell said about 2/3rd of National Service personnel are already frustrated with the rest almost at the point of frustration something he said is affecting their delivery at their various offices.
Service personnel have not been paid their allowances for the month of January and February, 2022 with some been owed since October 2021.
By: Simon Agana Blessing/mywordfmonline.com