The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has urged Ghanaians to demonstrate courage in following through prosecutorial processes against persons who siphon state resources.
“People must be ready to be courageous, providing evidence and go to court to testify against misconducts if we are to win the war against corruption. We must begin to adopt such attitudes.
“The allegations and rumours especially on social media do not help. We need to approach the mandated authorities to investigate the issues and follow it through,” the Greater Accra Regional Director, Mrs Lucille Hewlett Annan urged.
She was speaking at a symposium on corruption at the Pentecost University in Accra yesterday.
The meeting which formed part of activities under the European Union sponsored Accountability, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Programme (ARAP) of the NCCE sensitised students on legal regimes related to the fight against corruption and the individual roles they could play in reducing the canker.
Mrs Annan who believed the citizenry wielded enough power to help minimise corrupt practices entreated the public to “stand up for what is right and hold public officers to account.”
She also did not rule out the need for citizens to “do the right things. Take a personal decision not to be involved in activities that will not serve the public good.
“We always accuse the police for instance of being corrupt, yet most people fail to renew their vehicle licences and when they are arrested, they are first to grease their (police) palms or call someone in high position to intervene,” she noted.
Senior Investigator at the Greater Accra Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Godfrey Ebo Arhin, in delivering a presentation on Ghana’s legislative instruments to guard against corruption stressed the need for citizens to renew their mindset to fight corruption.
He mentioned legal and institutional frameworks including the Criminal Offences Act, Financial Administrative Act (Act 654), the CHRAJ Act, 1993 (Act ), Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663), Whistleblower Act 2006 (Act 720) and the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act 2017 (Act 959) among others, provided in the 1992 Constitution to tackle the menace.
Admitting the fact that persons mandated to enforce such laws and others in the country had slacked in achieving meaningful results, the investigator insisted that “no one is above the law” and should Ghanaians show much interest in ensuring the application of the law to the latter, corruption could be reduced.
Mr Arhin entreated students to eschew all forms of corrupt practices and “refrain from becoming conduits through which corruption flourishes.”
“As student wings of the various political parties, we must learn to inculcate higher values of integrity, honesty, accountability and public service so that when we take over the reins of leadership, we will not propagate heinous crime,” he advised.
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH
