The flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo has sounded a note of caution to persons hoping to serve in his government with the sole aim of amassing wealth to look elsewhere.
Addressing party members at Manchester in the United Kingdom, Nana Addo said: “If your goal in coming into government is to enrich yourself, then don’t come. Go to the private sector. Public service is going to be exactly that; public service!”
He directed such persons who want to dip their hands into the public purse to rather find their way to the private sector because when he is voted as President, he will jealously guard public funds.
According to him, he is not against any individual who wants to make money but “if that is your goal, stick to the private sector; don’t come into the public service.”
Office of special prosecutor
The NPP flagbearer announced that as President, he will create an office of Special Prosecutor in Ghana’s public space to ensure accountability.
The Special Prosecutor will be charged to fight against corruption.
Persons who will serve in this special office will not be chosen by the President but “by a formula that will ensure their independence and the capacity to do their work.”
He remarked that the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) as presently constituted is not strong enough to be the “fulcrum for the anti-corruption drive in our country.”
“It is an ombudsman, a human rights watchdog and it is also an anti-corruption agency,” he noted.
These duties, he said are too broad for one institution to undertake effectively therefore, as President, he will take away the anti-corruption fight from CHRAJ and give that responsibility to the Office of Special Prosecutor.
On his part, the Communications Director of NPP in Manchester and a Public Health Practitioner, Dr Da Costa Aboagye said the pervasiveness of corruption in recent times is worrying.
“It appears the President and his team are happy with the widespread corruption,” he remarked.
He questioned why it took government and the security services more than three weeks to respond to a continuous broadcast and publication of an alleged corruption of a professor’s involvement in a $40 million scandalous diabetes money meant for Ghana.
“This shows that the political will to fighting corruption is so low. We cannot continue on this lackadaisical path. Yes, it is a difficult task but the lack of political will makes it more difficult,” he added.
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