Corruption fight requires no educational background

Mr. Abass Yussif, Acting District Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) in the Krachi Nchumuru District of the Oti Region has called on all, regardless of educational background, to join efforts at eliminating corruption in the country.

He said reporting corruption had been simplified and regularised by the introduction of the Whistle Blowers Act, and though some government resourcing institutions have been tasked with dealing with corruption, the fight was open to all.

The Director was speaking at a durbar organised by the Commission at Kakraka in the Krachi Nchumuru District to promote an increase in public accountability and good environmental governance.

The durbar was organised with support from the European Union (EU) as part of the Accountability, Rule of Law and Anti-corruption programme (ARAP) on the theme “Public Accountability and Environmental Governance, the Role of the Citizen”.

ARAP’s objective is to promote good governance in Ghana by reducing corruption and improving accountability and compliance with the Rule of Law.

“Whether you are educated or not, you must contribute to the fight against corruption wherever you find yourself”, the Director told the community.

He said corruption was seriously affecting development in the country especially in rural Ghana and that there was the need for all to help check the activities of people in leadership positions.

Mr Yussif called on citizens to report people they noticed in their communities to be engaging in bribery and corruption to the Ghana Police Service, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the Office of the Special Prosecutor (SP), and their traditional authorities among other mandated institutions.

He told the gathering that Whistle Blowers Act existed to protect citizens who reported on acts of corruption.

He said the Whistle Blower Act, (2006) Act 720 gave them full protection and that anyone who disclosed the identity of a whistle blower risked prosecution.

Mr. Samuel Keteku, the District Environmental Health Officer who spoke on environmental governance called on the people to build toilets in their homes and avoid open defecation, and the spread of cholera and other diseases.

He advised them to keep their surroundings clean and also teach their children to cultivate the habit of washing their hands anytime they visited the toilet and other germ prone places.

The Officer touched on deforestation and called on Chiefs, Assembly and Unit Committee members in all communities to check people who illegally fell trees.

He also advised communities to plant trees around the community to help prevent deforestation.