By James Esuon
Agona Swedru (C/R), July 17, GNA-The Local Accountability Network (LANET) in collaboration with the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) has sensitised students of Agona Swedru Methodist (A) Basic school about the effects of corruption, bribery and fraud which occur daily in public offices and society in general.
It coincided with the African Union Anti-Corruption Day celebration under the theme: “Justice for Africans and people of African descent through reparation. ‘’
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Benjamin Buabeng, Director of Hero Net Work reiterated calls on the people appointed to higher offices and other positions to eschew fraud, bribery, corruption and nepotism derailing the country’s economy.
Mr Buabeng advised the students to be bold and report or hint security agencies of corrupt practices they knew about, even if it happened in their own school by their teachers or any public officer.
He said corruption was an abuse of entrusted power by a public officer to discharge his or her duties for personal gain, depriving citizens from benefiting fully.
Mr Abubakar Adams, Agona West Municipal Director of LANET called on the students to be vigilant and endeavour to refrain from cheating during examination because it was a form of corruption.
The Municipal Director of LANET said corruption, bribery and others deprived the nation of huge amount of state funds which could be used to construct roads, hospitals, schools and many others.
It was unfortunate such funds always landed in the pockets of some selfish individuals for their parochial interest to the detriment of the entire country.
Mr Daniel Ansonaing, an official of the Agona Swedru Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), said there were state institutions empowered by law to deal with people involved in bribery, nepotism and embezzlement of state funds.
He pointed out that it was the outright responsibility of every Ghanaian to serve as whistle blower report all corrupt practices to the Police, CHRAJ and others to deal with them accordingly.
He enumerated types of corruptions which included grand or petty systematic bribery, nepotism and embezzlement, adding that all these corrupt practices affected the nation’s socio-economic advancement.
GNA
Edited by Alice Tettey /Kenneth Odeng Adade