Is Corruption a National Security Threat to Ghana?

Read Comments Comments (15)

• PAA NII 11 years ago

  Why can't you guys write something inspiring than things that are normal to every society in the world.

  Why can't you guys write something inspiring than things that are normal to every society in the world.

  reply
• koshe 11 years ago

  grow up. pls. Look the national problems we have

  grow up. pls. Look the national problems we have

  reply
• koshe 11 years ago

  grow up. look at the problems we have as a nation.

  grow up. look at the problems we have as a nation.

  reply
• insight to the bone 11 years ago

  Corruption today is due the mahama , nepotism and the general climate that anyone with good links can get away with these crimes without fear of punishment. This is the fruit of hegemony , northern tribalism and the anti Akan ...
  read full comment

  Corruption today is due the mahama , nepotism and the general climate that anyone with good links can get away with these crimes without fear of punishment. This is the fruit of hegemony , northern tribalism and the anti Akan agenda of the wicked ideologists in the NDC

  reply
• MARCUS AMPADU 11 years ago

  PAA NII says that this is 'chicken feed' article, that it is quite normal throughout the world. That opinion by PAA NII should not contradict Mr. Kofi Ata's query as to whether corruption poses a national security threat to G ...
  read full comment

  PAA NII says that this is 'chicken feed' article, that it is quite normal throughout the world. That opinion by PAA NII should not contradict Mr. Kofi Ata's query as to whether corruption poses a national security threat to Ghana?
  
  PAA NII is right, in that corruption is unfortunately global; from advanced countries to developing nations bribery, cronyism, and corruption raise their ugly heads daily. But these failures of the human conditions become
  national security threats to all nations that are struggling to develop. Kofi Ata is right on that score. Corruption prevents nations like Ghana, Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, etc. from completing their national projects. Corruption in US, UK, Germany, Japan are not as damaging as corruption in Ghana or Haiti.
  
  The advanced countries are using charges of corruption to deny much needed help to developed countries, despite the fact that corruption exists in various forms in their countries.
  
  May be it is time for the UN and faith leaders like the Pope, and the global media to wake up people's consciousness against corruption.
  
  For our part, we must set up a strong bipartisan institution that should investigate and incarcerate anyone who engages in corruption.

  reply
• Mr Figure-Out 11 years ago

  Firstly, for you to say that Paa Nii is right is very shallow and simplistic. No need to explain further.
  Secondly, I must admit that you were trying to make some sense until when you get to the last three paragraphs( or sen ...
  read full comment

  Firstly, for you to say that Paa Nii is right is very shallow and simplistic. No need to explain further.
  Secondly, I must admit that you were trying to make some sense until when you get to the last three paragraphs( or sentences ) where you exposed you ignorance and nativity to readers. I will quote you and then dissect your folly and the inherent mischief there in.
  
  "The advanced countries are using charges of corruption to deny much needed help to developed countries, despite the fact that corruption exists in various forms in their countries." Hmmm! You accused the advanced countries of double standards and corruption, right? Well is it not equally wrong or corrupt to seek material help from a known thief ( corrupt nation) for your development? That statement of your is needless as far as the discourse to curb corrupt on our land is concerned.
  
  Read yourself here!
  "May be it is time for the UN and faith leaders like the Pope, and the global media to wake up people's consciousness against corruption." Have you been doing time in jail or vacationing on Mars in recent years? The current Pope, Francis, is doing a lot to help cure the menace of corruption around the globe. He is doing more to tackle corruption in the Vatican, his own enclave. The UN too has conventions against corruption which was innogulated in 2013 to check its member states. No need to appeal to anybody for our assistance since we are our own enemies.
  
  "For our part, we must set up a strong bipartisan institution that should investigate and incarcerate anyone who engages in corruption."
  There cannot be any stronger institution other than our parliament to check corruption. We have independent bodies like the EOCO, CHRAJ and to what effect ........The problem we have is that corruption is syndicated among the top governing body on the land so it is sometimes very difficult for the house to discharge their duties to the fullest. Example is the complicity of NDC government in the payment of judgement debts to cronies. Interestingly it took one the dummies in parliament , Ken Adjapong, to unravel the crime with Woyome. And ironically we have the then deputy chief of staff, Trokosi Alex Segbafia, and the entire government communications team to come to his aid. So you could see the uphill task that the House is facing.

  reply
• MARCUS AMPADU 11 years ago

  Yes Mr. Figure-Out, I just beamed myself out of planet Mars, and I didn't realize that Eartllings have a weapon of mass destruction in their midst called corruption.
  
  Instead of lambasting the Martian, Mr. Figure-Out can y ...
  read full comment

  Yes Mr. Figure-Out, I just beamed myself out of planet Mars, and I didn't realize that Eartllings have a weapon of mass destruction in their midst called corruption.
  
  Instead of lambasting the Martian, Mr. Figure-Out can you blow the whistle anytime you come across corruption in your neck of the woods?

  reply
• Kwadwo 11 years ago

  I was about to leave Ghana to the US when Rawlings came to the scene and executed several senior military officers for alleged corruption. Up till now, no clear evidence has emerged to prove what these generals stole from th ...
  read full comment

  I was about to leave Ghana to the US when Rawlings came to the scene and executed several senior military officers for alleged corruption. Up till now, no clear evidence has emerged to prove what these generals stole from the people of Ghana. I also recall traders being molested by bayonet brandishing solders under allegations of Kalabule. But appears no public funds were stolen by these traders, except making profit. Some lost their investments and others died as a direct result of cruelty by these soldiers under the command of Rawlings and his posse.
  Strangely, Rawlings has been silent on Woyome, SADA, GYEEDA, NSS and several countless scandals engulfing the country under the rule of the NDC, a party he founded. I bet these generals lost their lives for nothing close to what Woyome alone has stolen from the people of Ghana. How do we fight for Justice for all those you killed needlessly under your faux revolution? Rawlings, you are butcher and history will be unkind to you. It comes as no surprise that you are trying to suppress a book about your place in Ghana's political history. You bred corruption into your party and you are a failure. May the soul of the people to killed continue to haunt your miserable life.

  reply
• Wiase 11 years ago

  Today armed robbers have no guilt attacking people because they feel are just taking their share of the boots. If people like Alfred Woyome, Agombile, Aboakwa and others could amass so much wealth in this short period, th ...
  read full comment

  Today armed robbers have no guilt attacking people because they feel are just taking their share of the boots. If people like Alfred Woyome, Agombile, Aboakwa and others could amass so much wealth in this short period, then the armed robbers have a case. Wait till the day the youth will start killing anyone they feel possess something they feel should be theirs and then we will know. The level of corruption in Ghana today is not sustainable. We have to stop these criminals in their tracks or wait till the day someone will turn up and kill of all us.

  reply
• eric katuame 11 years ago

  EVEN MASSIVE SCALE ADJUSTMENTS BY PCs AND DOs TO CHEAT HARDWORKING COCOA FARMERS. EVEN POOR COCOA FARMERS ARE NOT SPARED. EVERYONE IS TAKING ADVANTAGE, LEGAL/ ILLEGAL. YOU SEE!

  EVEN MASSIVE SCALE ADJUSTMENTS BY PCs AND DOs TO CHEAT HARDWORKING COCOA FARMERS. EVEN POOR COCOA FARMERS ARE NOT SPARED. EVERYONE IS TAKING ADVANTAGE, LEGAL/ ILLEGAL. YOU SEE!

  reply
• LONTO-BOY 11 years ago

  MASSA KOFI, the answer to your question is yes, corruption is a threat to Ghana's security. The fact is that corruption has profound implications for Ghana's security[especially, financial security]. Corruption is a major imp ...
  read full comment

  MASSA KOFI, the answer to your question is yes, corruption is a threat to Ghana's security. The fact is that corruption has profound implications for Ghana's security[especially, financial security]. Corruption is a major impediment to the socio-economic development and democratic governance of Ghana. Ghana cannot achieve sustained socio-economic growth and development, attract foreign investments, provide basic social services and alleviate poverty because of the direct impact/cost of corruption; through fraud, kickbacks, bribery, and theft by government officials and civil/public servants. And when the lives of ordinary citizens are made worse by the direct cause and cost of political/government's corruption, that's recipe for civil unrest and security risk.
  
  Yes, irrespective of Government/Party in power corruption prevails in Ghana. However, the truth be said, corruption scandals have risen exponentially under this NDC government. President John Mahama's somehow inaction and lack of political will to ensure the prosecution and dismissal of some government officials and NDC activists caught up in corruption scandals[SADA and GYEEDA] has created the culture of impunity among certain government officials.
  
  To effectively fight corruption in Ghana, Ghanaians need a change in attitude through civic education. The public awareness would enhance governance. We need strong and independent democratic institutions, example, the judiciary and law enforcement agencies for successful prosecution of corrupt individuals and government officials.

  reply
• KAKABO 11 years ago

  Master Ata Kofi, the answer is yes corruption is just about bringing the national edifice called Ghana down . The truth is that corruption exist in many forms all over the earth. However it is the level and magnitude that mat ...
  read full comment

  Master Ata Kofi, the answer is yes corruption is just about bringing the national edifice called Ghana down . The truth is that corruption exist in many forms all over the earth. However it is the level and magnitude that matters most.Some aspects of corruption though cannot be described as good in anyway are in themselves not as destructive as the kind of corruption that is currently at play in Ghana. The most significant point we should all accept is that there cannot be a corrupt society if the leaders of that society are not corrupt. Ghana is sinking not because of the corruption of the citizens but the corruption of the leaders.It is the leaders by virtue of the powers given them that control the citizen and shape the behavior of the masses.
  If the president is accused by a former cabinet colleague that the president whiles serving as the Deputy President was perceived by the then president to have engaged in a corrupt act during the negotiation of the presidential jet,which prompted the president at the time to form a committee to investigate the then vice president, and yet 3 years down the line the then vice president who is now the president has not been able to publicly refute that allegation or do anything within the law to get his name cleared from any doubt, do you think such a president can control those under him or come out strongly against those under him if they are found to be corrupt? oh Tweaaa. The matter is that the current president has lost the moral authority to question any act of corruption within his ranks because of his previous record. When the shepherded is unable to direct the flock to the pastures and away from predators, what happens is that the lions (corruption) will take the sheep out one by one. This is what is happening. Because the president has lost the moral compass to question corrupt acts, all those under him do not care a fagot as to what they take out of the state. Any attempt at stemming the tide of corruption should therefore start with the leadership. Until the president rids himself of all suspicion of corruption and assumes the moral high ground and in the process drive those under him to eschew corruption, I can tell you we are going nowhere fast. When the corruption of the leadership is dealt with appropriately, the corruption of the masses will die down drastically.

  reply
• BOY KOFI 11 years ago

  They believe corruption is the fastest way to get rich.Many families don't care how their relatives and friends get rich through corruption.They rather sing songs of praises for the corrupt and give them high receptions and p ...
  read full comment

  They believe corruption is the fastest way to get rich.Many families don't care how their relatives and friends get rich through corruption.They rather sing songs of praises for the corrupt and give them high receptions and positions wherever they meet.This is the reason why Ghanaians see nothing wrong with corruption.I personally blame our intellectuals who have to do some research and provide solutions.We must first identify the cause in scientific method and use scientific measure to reduce it.I can tell you that our Universities have not producing good graduates to this effect.As for me,I think we must take the National Identification Programme very serious.Govt must put in place organism to contact the citizens for declaration of annual revenu.This will minimise corruption somehow.Thank you.

  reply
• KKO 11 years ago

  Yes, Kofi, corruption is a threat to the security of Ghana and the name of that threat IS John D Mahama! The worse our economy gets the worse that threat will be.
  
  Did you ever cash large sums of money in Ghana about 1983/ ...
  read full comment

  Yes, Kofi, corruption is a threat to the security of Ghana and the name of that threat IS John D Mahama! The worse our economy gets the worse that threat will be.
  
  Did you ever cash large sums of money in Ghana about 1983/84? I did. You always got large amounts of two and five cedi notes mixed with your twenty cedi denominations. There were usually too many bundles to count in the bank. You had to go home to discover the fraud.
  
  Then salaries were increased by about 75% about early 1986 and that fraudulent practice almost stopped overnight. The harder things get, the more crooked people get.
  
  What happened to the report of the commission Prof Ata Mills set up to look into the purchase of the Brear Aircraft in Brazil? How much does the nation pay to the president's brother for the use of his private plane for official government travels?
  
  Yes, God punished Adam and Eve for their corruption in the Garden of Eden. Ghanaians must punish Mahama by voting him out of office in 2014 and investigating him. We need to set example now, otherwise the nation Ghana is doomed for ever!

  reply
• Kpakpo 11 years ago

  Start from the president

  Start from the president

  reply