Wa East NCCE mounts aggressive anticorruption crusade

The Wa East District office of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has taken anticorruption crusade activities to the door steps of faith-based organisations and identifiable groups, urging them to reject gifts after rendering service.

The Commission has engaged several Christian organisations and Ahamadiya, orthodox and Ahlusunnah Muslim congregations, as well as chiefs and elders, transport operators, market and youth groups among others in more than 13 communities on economic and social cost of corruption.

Lead Facilitator and Wa East District NCCE Director, Mr Luke D. Wiedong, told the Ghana News Agency on Monday that, 2,654 people comprising 1,451 males and 1,203 females have been touched with the anticorruption message.

He said the campaign also touched on accountability and rule of law, placing emphasis on responsible leadership and laws of Ghana that frowned on acts of bribery and corruption.

Corruption in Ghana was largely blamed on lack of ethical standards, poor leadership, extreme poverty, greed and dishonesty.

Mr Wiedong advised the public not to accept money, favours and valuable goods before and after rendering services, he said, since “they are tools used by corrupt persons to win favours”.

During the campaign, he said, participants agreed that bribery, nepotism, fraud, cheating, embezzlement, extortion, looting and money laundering were bad and harmful to society.

They cited huge cost of acts of corruption on fundamental freedoms of people, health and doing business. “These must be avoided to facilitate integral human development,” he added.

The public was advised not to discuss corruption in isolation but link it to areas like health, education and justice.

Touching on rule of law, Mr Wiedong noted that laws were not made to inflict pains on humans, but to regulate society for peaceful coexistence.

He encouraged the public to obey lay down rules and regulations and seek redress from the courts in the event of disagreements.

“Violence should not be the ultimate means in resolving misunderstandings,” he added.

On accountability, he entreated participants to be accountable to all those they worked with or for and ensure that citizens have the necessary information to hold their leaders accountable.

He noted that accountability guaranteed sustainability of groups, institutions and organisations.

The Accountability, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Programme (ARAP) is one of the NCCE’s flagship programmes carried out in collaboration with the European Union (EU).

The NCCE is mandated to educate the public on negative effects of corruption, responsible leadership and fundamental laws of Ghana enshrined in the 1992 Constitution, to enable people defend their rights in their respective communities, institutions and work places.