‘We have changed a whole office of personnel’ – NIA boss laments high level of corruption

The Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Prof. Ken Attafuah has lamented the level of corruption by personnel of the Authority.

According to him, despite the punitive measures that have been taken against such corrupt officials, the act does not seem to have an end in sight.

Speaking to journalists on the progress of the Ghana Card registration exercise on Friday, September 16, 2022, Prof. Ken Attafuah said even though minimal, the extortion of monies from individuals has become a heartbreaking issue.

According to a myjoyonline.com report, he said “It breaks my heart to hear of the corruption, the extortion of monies by NIA staff and there is credence to that. Some of them have been arrested and prosecuted, some people have been jailed and some have been interdicted and all kinds of processes are going on that I say I will share with you.”

Attafuah added that the Authority has had instances where “we [NIA] have to change the whole office, the personnel in the whole office, replace them and interdict them.”

In 2019, 11 staff of the Authority were dismissed for various infractions during registration with 5 others suspended for less serious offenses.

In 2020, however, four NIA staff were dismissed for engaging in registration malpractices.

A statement issued by the Authority said “the conduct of its aforesaid registration officials is in breach of the relevant provisions of the Public Service Code of Conduct.”