JOURNALISTS' FIGHT OF CORRUPTION IN GHANA AND BEYOND



Journalists' fight of corruption in Ghana and beyond


Corruption is endemic
It dates as far back as to Adam’s time – Ex- president J. A. Kufuor.

Corruption accounts for the collapse of various public and private enterprises all over the world. Economies of countries suffer from corruption. For example, Mobutu Sesekou’s wealth is said to be more than the country’s debt. The Nigerian government recently claimed an amount stacked in Swiss banks by its leaders. This social canker is deeply rooted such that various attempts to control it have had little effect stifling economic growth and development.

In Ghana from the time of independence, corruption among democratic elected governments in the country such as the CPP, PNP and PP paved way for 21 years of military rule with the main aim of instilling the principles of transparency, probity and accountability among state officials. Since the return of democratic governance in 1992 under the tutelage of Ft. Lt J.J. Rawlings, ratings from the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index highlights Ghana’s diligent fight against corruption. Readings between the periods of 2009, 2010 and 2011 shows a constant trend and gradual improvement of Ghana’s fight against corruption recording 39.00 in 2009, 41.00 in 2010 and 38.51 in 2011. Also, readings between the periods of 2017, 2018 and 2019 show a constant trend in the fight with 40.00 in 2017, 41.00 in 2018 and 41.00 in 2019.

In 2007, 77 parcels of cocaine got missing at the police headquarters under the 24 hour surveillance of a CCTV camera, till now the camera hasn't been able to expose or point out those who took the hard drug. Isn't this ridiculous? Similar in the year 2011, some parcels of cocaine went missing in our law court. The cocaine was said to have turned into “kokonte” powder. How miraculous? The BNI (Bureau for National Investigation) was given seven days to conduct investigations into the issue after which appropriate action would be taken. In the early periods of J.E.A Mills’s tenure in office, the then sports minister, Hon. Mohammed Muntaka was investigated to have misappropriated some money belonging to the sports ministry. He was relieved of his post.

Fast-forward to the year 2015 where the NDC government under the leadership of John Dramani Mahama was saddled with quite a number of corruption scandals but the most notable was that of the Smartty’s Bus branding saga where a total of 116 Metro Mass Transit buses were rebranded at a cost of GH¢3.6 million. A figure regarded by many in the Ghanaian public space as ridiculous and unacceptable. This issue led to the resignation of the Minister of Transport, Madam Dzifa Aku Attivor, in December that same year.  

The current president of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo, has also had his fair share of scandals during his tenure. Most notable of them is the Ameri deal saga.  The contentious Ameri deal involved a power pact between the government of Ghana and United Arab Emirates-based AMERI Energy costs a whopping $510 million. Conversely, the Akuffo-Addo government had been defrauded by AMERI as they presented an inflated budget, and were overly paid by $150 million. This led to a scandalous renegotiation of the deal by then Energy Minister, Mr. Boakye Agyarko, which later generated strong debate across the length and breadth of the country. Mr. Agyarko came under heavy reproach when he purported that, Ghana will gain $405 million from the new deal with Ameri Energy but it was realised that Ghana will rather lose up to $472 million. The blunder resulted to his sack after prevailing pressure and was changed for Mr. Peter Amewu.

President Bucaram of Ecuador according to an investigative story published in the daily Hoy showed how the president known as “El Loco” had diverted money he had raised during a Christmas telethon. Amid a national uproar, Bucaram was later ousted by congress for “mental incapacity”.

President Perez of Venezuela was also reported by the media to have misappropriated $17 million in missing discretionary funds. Other leaked documents from the central bank and foreign ministry, Simon reports, indicated that “Perez and two aides had made millions by changing Venezuelan currency into dollars just ahead of devaluation. After, Venezuelan Law-makers began impeachment proceedings, Perez was forced to step down.     

Corruption is the use of foul and unfair means to achieve a set target or objective. It could be in the form of bribery, misappropriation of public goods, nepotism, influencing the formulation of laws or regulations for private gain. A lot of times we ask ourselves what brings about corruption or what causes it. The following can be attributed as causes of corruption.

a. The desire for an unfair advantage: Many officials are motivated to participate in corrupt behaviors because of the inherently selfish desire to have an unfair advantage over their peers. Bribery, extortion, embezzlement, nepotism and others propel dishonest people to get ahead while the public pays the price.

b. Lack of punitive measures: The ineffectiveness of our law enforcement agencies and courts enable people engage in corruption and get away with it. With an effective legal and monitoring system, people involved would be held responsible for their actions.

c. Lack of transparency: Transparency describes when there is free access by citizens to public information. When the rules, procedures and objectives of the government are not made available to the public, there is no budgetary and administrative oversight to balance the power of government officials. Transparency is lacking and corruption can be bred.

d. Poor incentive structures: Particularly in the public sector, poor incentive is one motivation for officials to engage in corruption where they are not given any additional bonuses apart from their meager salaries to serve as motivation. This then encourages them to engage in corruption in order to supplement their insufficient wages.

The role of journalists
 in fighting corruption is very invaluable in the sense that it’s a step in promoting good governance, transparency and accountability among world societies. The following are roles of journalists in the fight against worldwide corruption.

i. The exposure of corrupt officials is the first step to bringing corrupt officials to book through thorough investigation in the activities of those involved in corruption be it public officials or expatriates.

ii. Forwarding the course of the state in sanctioning those officials be it impeachment, dismissals or in worse cases put them behind bars. This should be done through demonstrations, petitions, symposia’s and forums.

iii. Prompting state law enforcing agencies about investigations into corrupt scandals. Agencies such as CHRAJ/Ombudsman, the courts in order to help provide favorable grounds in prosecuting corrupt government officials.

iv. Forwarding the changes to laws and regulations that create a climate favorable to corruption. This is done with the help of pressure groups and civil societies through symposia, massive demonstrations and petitions.  

We believe that with aggressive implementation of these measures and just not talk, the fight against corruption will surely see the light of day. Your comments and views are welcome in the comment section below.


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