Former President John Dramani Mahama has pointed fingers at the Akufo-Addo government, accusing it of permitting corruption to flourish in the country.
He has urged Ghanaians not to normalize corruption, emphasizing that it obstructs progress on various fronts and deprives young people of opportunities.
Mahama made these statements during a Facebook Live address on Wednesday, September 6, 2023.
He asserted that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government has allowed corruption to infiltrate every aspect of society, leading some Ghanaians to now glorify and rationalize it.
“President Akufo-Addo and his administration have failed to address the pressing challenges they have exerted on the people of our country. Misapplying our precious scarce resources and overspending instead of building the critical infrastructure this country needs for job creation and development. Their promises during their campaigns have not been fulfilled, leaving the ordinary Ghanaian burdened with the consequences of their incompetence, cluelessness, and shameless arrogance.
“Today, some Ghanaians glorify and make excuses for corruption because the NPP government has allowed it to permeate every aspect of our society. This must not be accepted as the norm. It hinders progress on many fronts, denying our youth many opportunities that could come their way if state resources were meaningfully applied. We cannot allow this dire state of affairs to continue,” Mahama stated.
He stressed that the acceptance of corruption as the norm must not be tolerated, as it hinders progress and denies opportunities to the youth calling all Ghanaians to unite in the fight against corruption and to demand accountability from their leaders.
“We must all join the fight against corruption, and demand accountability from our leaders. We must not allow corruption to continue to hold our country back,” he emphasized.
In addition to his remarks on corruption, Mahama encouraged Ghanaians aged 18 and above without voter ID cards to participate in the upcoming limited registration exercise organized by the Electoral Commission (EC).
He echoed the calls for the exercise to be conducted at electoral areas instead of being restricted to the district offices of the EC.
“The EC must reconsider its decision to restrict the exercise to its district offices only. Access to a voter ID should be easy and not limited by location,” Mahama added.
Mahama’s comments come at a time when the former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources is under investigation for allegedly possessing a significant amount of money that the Office of the Special Prosecutor believes is connected to corruption.
Source: ghanaweb.com
