Accra, March 6, 2018//-Ghana today marked its 60 years of independence from British colonial rule.
As the first sub-Saharan country to gain independence, Ghana’s precedent in 1957 inspired other countries to seek liberation and 17 African countries gained independence in 1960.
Ghana’s recent history has been a mixed picture of progress and setbacks, marked by democratic stability, economic woes, corruption and pockets of progress amid development, education and health challenges.
Addressing the citizens, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo described as unacceptable the recent spate of armed robbery activities in the country.
According to him, he is under every obligation to maintain the peace of the country and will not compromise on that.
“I will work to ensure that citizens are able to go about their daily duties in the confidence that they are safe. I want to make this clear: no miscreant will have the space to terrorize citizens and generate a sense of insecurity in our country,” the Mr Akufo-Addo assured.
The president’s assurance follows the recent upsurge of bloody armed robbery attacks in the peacefully West African country.
Armed robbers just last week Tuesday invaded the offices of Royal Motors and made away with an undisclosed amount of money.
The same week, more than two persons were killed in separate armed robbery attacks in Tema and Obuasi. A woman who was on her way home in the evening was trailed by robbers who later stabbed her in Obuasi. She died shortly after
While in the Tema incident, a cashier with Delta Agro had gone to the bank to withdraw an amount of ¢200,000 ostensibly to pay workers of the soap manufacturing company.
He was trailed by the robbers from the bank, accosted at the precincts of his company, shot in the head, with the robbers bolting with the money.
There have been similar attacks in Oyibi, Kasoa and its environs creating a state of fear and insecurity in the country.
However, the president said these attacks are unacceptable. At 61, the president reiterated the need for a peaceful and a more secured citizen.
At the Anniversary which had the president of Nigeria, Muhammudu Buhari also attending, the president said the police have a primary responsibility to protect the citizenry but in exceptional cases the military must assist.
Corruption and RTI
Mr Akufo-Addo also pledged that his government would take the necessary steps that will lead to the passage of the Right to Information (RTI) bill.
The passage of the bill according to him would add to the fight against corruption in the country.
“There is, however, one piece of the anti-corruption framework that is yet to be put in place; The Right to Information Act. It would increase transparency and add another critical weapon to the armoury in the fight against corruption”.
“After many years of hesitation, we intend to bring a Bill again to Parliament and work to get it passed into law before Parliament rises,” he noted
The president stressed that corruption is a major non-partisan phenomenon which continues to derail the development of the country as such it must be a concern for all.
“Fellow Ghanaians, corruption, or, more specifically, the stealing of public funds, continues to hold back the development of our nation. Corruption is not a partisan matter and we must all act to protect the public purse”.
Mr Akufo-Addo maintained that the protection of the public purse requires a concerted effort and that it inures to a collective interest for which reason it must be treated with all seriousness.
“The protection of the public purse is a social common good, and it depends on all of us. It is in all our interest that corruption does not thrive, and we police each other’s behavior”, the president said.
In line with the theme for 61st independence anniversary: Ghana beyond aid, the president urged Ghanaians not to connive with foreigners to steal from the national purse.
“Going Beyond Aid means Ghanaians should not serve as fronts for foreign companies to defraud our country. It will mean we all pay our taxes, and it will mean we all help to take care of government property as though it were our own”, he noted.
He added that attaining a Ghana beyond aid “will also require that we break from a mentality of dependency and adopt a confident can-do spirit, fuelled by love for our dear country, Ghana”
He cautioned “We cannot subordinate the common good to build a prosperous nation to the selfish interest of a few”.
African Eye Report
