A senior officer of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has shared a distressing account of how her retired father struggled for more than a year to receive his retirement benefits, saying he was repeatedly told his file could not be found until he paid a bribe.
The officer spoke in a video posted on social media, describing how her father, after years of service, travelled from Ho in the Volta Region to Accra multiple times to claim his pension. Each time, officials allegedly told him they could not locate his file, effectively blocking his access to the funds he earned.
According to her account, an older man later advised her father to hand over a “brown envelope” to the staff responsible for processing pensions. After doing so, the officer said, her father’s file was suddenly found and his benefits were finally processed.
In the video, she explained that the ordeal forced her father to go against his principles, as he had vowed never to pay a bribe. His experience highlights concerns about alleged corruption and the struggle many retirees face when trying to access their pension entitlements.
Many people who have seen the video reacted strongly online, with comments expressing frustration that even those who served their country might be compelled to pay under-the-table fees just to claim what is owed to them.
The issue underscores wider complaints about administrative corruption and delays in pension disbursements, and has sparked calls for greater transparency and accountability from institutions responsible for processing retirement benefits.
