SSNIT verifies certificates of workforce

The academic certificates of 2,465 workers of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) are being verified by the trust as part of moves to cleanse the system of possible fake certificate holders.

The exercise comes against the backdrop of the revelation that the dismissed Head of the Management Information Systems (MIS) of the trust, ‘Dr’ Caleb Afaglo, had used fake certificates to gain employment with SSNIT in 2015.

According to the Director-General of SSNIT, Dr John Ofori-Tenkorang, the management gave the directive to the Human Resource Department two weeks ago as part of moves to cleanse the system of possible culprits.

“It is a policy of SSNIT for all certificates to be verified, but, somehow, Afaglo’s slipped through. We, therefore, need to make sure similar incidents do not occur in future,” he said in an interview in Accra last Thursday.

Asked if his certificates would also be vetted, Dr Ofori-Tenkorang said: “I expect the Human Resource Department of the trust to do it. I am also an employee of SSNIT and I expect my certificates to be vetted,” he said.

Cooperate

Dr Ofori-Tenkorang urged staff of the trust to cooperate with its Human Resource Department to make the exercise successful.

“We are not out there to victimise anyone; we are only seeking to cleanse the image of the trust to regain absolute public confidence,” he said.

He warned that anyone found to have gained employment through fraudulent means would be dealt with in accordance with the law.

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Software scandal

The SSNIT has been hit by a $72-million software scandal, leading to Afaglo’s dismissal after the trust and the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) realised that he had used fake degrees to gain employment with the trust.

Afaglo was dismissed on August 30, 2017 after a committee set up to investigate his conduct in accordance with the rules and regulations of the trust recommended his dismissal.

A statement issued by the acting Corporate Affairs Manager of SSNIT, Ms Victoria Abaidoo, said: “The evidence made available to the trust indicates that the university degrees presented by ‘Dr’ Afaglo to secure his employment with the trust are fake”.

It indicated that ‘Dr’ Afaglo, who was then on interdiction, “has been relieved of his post with immediate effect”.

According to EOCO, its investigations revealed that ‘Dr’ Afaglo did not have a doctorate degree as he had claimed, neither did he have a master’s degree nor a first degree.

‘Dr’ Afaglo was employed by SSNIT in 2015 after the trust had completed phases one and two of its Operational Business Suite (OBS).