Nana Declares War On Robbers
...Says No Miscreant Will Have The Space To Terrorize Citizens
President Nana Akufo-Addo has described as “totally unacceptable” the recent wave of armed robbery attacks in the country.
He said the government is duty bound to ensure that citizens are safe and able to go about their daily duties in confidence.
Nana Addo disclosed that he will work to ensure that no miscreant will have the space to terrorize citizens and generate a sense of insecurity in the country.
Attacks
The President’s assurances come in the wake of what appears to be days of bloody armed robbery attacks in various parts of the country which have claimed several human lives and loss of properties.
On Tuesday, armed robbers in Rambo-style attack and invaded the offices of Royal Motors in Accra and escaped with an undisclosed amount of money.
Just on the heels of that was another robbery incident in Tema where a cashier with Delta Agro who had gone to the bank to withdraw an amount of GH¢200,000 to pay workers of the soap manufacturing company, was also trailed by the robbers from the bank, accosted at the precincts of his company, shot in the head and bolted with the money.
Sunday dawn, robbers broke into the ICGC Calvary Temple auditorium in an attempt to steal three 42 inches plasma screens used for projections during service.
The robbers, however, bolted upon hearing the sirens from a police team on patrol around Sakumono and its environs.
The general feeling of insecurity among the citizenry resulted in the reshuffling of the Police Command structure by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) which security analysts say is knee-jerk reaction.
Safety
Addressing the 61st Independence Day Parade in Accra on the theme: “Ghana Beyond Aid”, the President said the safety of the citizenry “is an obligation I accept, and I am determined to discharge faithfully”.
He argued that the police have the primary responsibility of maintaining peace and keeping law and order in the society and in exceptional cases, with the backing of the armed forces.
“The government is doing and will do whatever it takes to enable the police discharge their duties effectively. We are providing the means for them to modernize their equipment, and learn modern methods of policing, and their numbers will be rapidly increased to match our growing population, and the sophistication and audacity of the criminals.”
Nana Addo continued: “We should not forget that the police need the help and support of the community to be able to do their work. We dare not lose our reputation as a haven of peace and security. I urge you all to join in making sure there is no hiding place in our midst for those who would disturb our peace.”
Corruption
The president indicated that the development of the country continues to lack behind because of corruption.
He said having appointed a Special Prosecutor there will soon be prosecutions of past and present public officers who he said ought to be accountable for their stewardship.
“Corruption, or more specifically, the stealing of public funds, continues to hold back the development of our nation. A recent audit by the Auditor General into the liabilities of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies led to the disallowance of some GH¢5.4 billion of claims. These are fictitious claims that would otherwise have had to be paid, but for the eagle eye of the Auditor General. Can you imagine what we can do with GH¢5.4 billion? It can certainly finance the Free SHS for five years” he noted.
According to Nana Addo, corruption is not a partisan matter, adding that we must all act to protect the public purse.
Touching on the theme for the occasion, he said the country that is well endowed with many natural resources stressing that the state of the nation does not bear out that we have these natural endowments.
Nana Addo explained that mismanagement, corruption and high fiscal deficits have become the hallmarks of our economy, which we finance through borrowing and foreign aid.
“It is time to pursue a path to prosperity and self-respect for our nation. A Ghana Beyond Aid is a prosperous and self-confident Ghana that is in charge of her economic destiny; a transformed Ghana that is prosperous enough to be beyond needing aid, and that engages competitively with the rest of the world through trade and investment. It is possible; We have to do things differently to realize this goal” he said.
Muhammadu Buhari, the President of Nigeria and the special guest of honour assured the president of his assistance in tackling the menace of endemic corruption in the society.
He said Ghana and Nigeria shares close cultural and historic ties which continues to shape the bilateral relations of the two countries
The Nigeria President congratulated Parliament for the quick passage of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Bill.
By: Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson/ thePublisher
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