Corruption, many have said, is wreaking untold damage on the moral fibre of the nation. The dishonest or fraudulent conduct by some people in power has become a canker which has proven difficult to deal with.
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15 memorable quotes on corruption by famous Ghanaians
Here are fifteen famous sayings of corruption by some prominent Ghanaians
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The act makes people compromise on their responsibilities and in most cases, leaves the poor at the mercy of another’s decision.
Here are fifteen famous sayings of corruption by some prominent Ghanaians:
1. “You don’t fight corruption by attacking your enemies; you start by cleaning your house. If you fight corruption you are going to hit people and you will be misunderstood but if he hits himself first, and his cabinet and his party and then his government then it goes down to all of us then we can say he is fair” - Founder of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), Dr. Mensa Otabil speaking at a forum organized by IMANI Ghana and Occupy Ghana. (November, 2014)
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2. “People with conscience are sometimes appalled by the extreme insensitivity displayed by some political appointees. The unprecedented levels of corruption, offensive show of power and opulence by some at a time when our country requires prudence and frugality is something that I call on President Mahama and his vice to set their eyes on” – Former President, Jerry John Rawlingsspeaking at a ceremony at the University of Education, Winneba. (April, 2014)
3. “What is happening in Ghana and in the last few days tells me that there is complete rot in our society and we need to do something about it. It is more like an epidemic that is running through the system” - Head of the Human Security Department of the National Security Secretariat, Brigadier-General Joseph Nunoo–Mensah (rtd) speaking to Citi News. (October, 2014)
“Our governments are very insincere to the people of this country even though they know these things are wrong and can be fixed; they are not doing anything about it…“It’s all about stealing, it’s all about theft. Look at the Brazil thing, it doesn’t make any sense and if we had a truly good President, who really had the people of this country at heart, by now we should be prosecuting Elvis Afriyie [immediate past Sports Minister] and his people,” - Financial analyst,Sydney Casely-Hayfordspeaking to Citi News. (September, 2014)
5. “It is the duty of the head of state, to detect all these things periodically … the President must be held responsible. If the Heads of State are not ready to rid the country of corruption, it will go on unabated” - Anti-corruption campaigner, PC Appiah Oforispeaking to Citi FM. (November, 2013)
6. “With the population explosion, everybody is expecting something from the centre, and the centre not being able to provide; this compounds the corruption …there is a ground of unhappiness and of protest. I’m hopeful that along the way, corruption might be tackled effectively and hopefully government should be more accountable.” - Former President, John Agyekum Kufour in an interview with BBC. (June, 2014)
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7. “Our country is caught in an unending spiral of decadence. Every day we read and hear of unspeakable corruption and abuse of the public purse by individuals and institutions entrusted with public funds. The situation has reached tipping point and our citizens genuinely wonder if any public official or institution can stand up to scrutiny” - Chief Justice, Mrs Georgina Theodora Woodat the swearing-in ceremony of a professional magistrate and 21 career magistrates in Accra. (October, 2014)
8. “The lack of accountability, the mind set of people going into public office and also the fact that there is no sensitisation or awareness creation about the evils of corruption and the cost of corruption… - Former Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Emile Short speaking on Joy FM. (October, 2014)
9. “Let me state here and now that I remain undaunted by attempts to thwart the fight against corruption by legal and technical means… I do not care whose ox is gored when it comes to the fight against corruption. And neither will I be off-tracked by all the sideline comments that are being made to befuddle the hardcore issues” – Former President, the late John Atta Mills delivering the State of the Nation address to Parliament. (February, 2012)
10. “Corruption has to be defeated; it reduces revenue to the state; it holds back our economic growth; it leads to the flight of capital out of the country and it inflates the cost of running government. It results in a loss of legitimacy and respect for legally constituted authority. Corruption demoralises honest people and fills them with uncertainty, mistrust and fear. It stifles initiative and creativity and dampens motivation. It undermines the merit system of rewards, appointments and success and it encourages mediocrity, laziness and incompetence.” – NPP Presidential candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo speaking on the conundrum of corruption at the Great Hall of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. (October, 2012)
11. “Bribery is unethical wherever it occurs, because it is unjust, unfair, and corrupting whether it is legal or not. Everybody in a country may accept bribery as a way of life, just as "everybody" may accept vengeance killings, abuse of women and child slavery. Bribery still creates conflicts of interest, distorts policy and impedes justice. It favors the rich and powerful over the poor and weak. It harms society. It is wrong.” - Kofi Annan and the U.N.'s Culture of Corruption (3/5/2005)
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12. “The issue is who is better at it, which party has been more corrupt. It tells us that we are in danger of coming to accept the inevitability of corruption as our way of life. And there is plenty of evidence that points in that direction. We must accept that it is part of the problems afflicting the economy today and while we ponder over policy options, we must cry out for some act of courage to tackle the scourge of corruption, not on the peripheries but at the top.” – Asantehene, Otumfour Osei Tutu II speaking at the 19th Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Awards. (August, 2014)
13. “It takes courage and character to live in honest poverty while you watch your friends get rich by fraud. Don’t feel good about your attainments and wealth when you did not acquire it through hard work, but in a corrupt way.” - Paramount Chief of the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Area, Okyehene Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin II speaking on the night of the Ghana Golf Awards at the Events Haven, Trade Fair site, La, Accra. (December, 2014)
14. “When we are talk about corruption, we are not talking about the peasant farmer who struggles constantly to produce the food that we eat and lives in the thatch-roofed house without windows and is susceptible to snake bites. They are not the people engaged in corruption. The most educated, the mangers of the national economy, people who went to Havard University, the Oxford graduate and those with double honours from the University of Ghana… these are the people who are in the position to be corrupt and are indeed most corrupt” - Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper Kwesi Pratt speaking on Radio Gold. (April, 2015)
15. “Corruption is not the responsibility of only the president. I am not everywhere in all your establishment to supervise and make sure nobody is taking any money” – President John Dramani Mahama while addressing the 8th Conference of public service Chief Directors, Chief Executives and Chairpersons of Governing Boards and Councils at Koforidua in the Eastern Region. (April, 2015)
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