Editorial
MARTIN AMIDU’S RESIGNATION
The hopes of people were high when Mr Martin Amidu was appointed to occupy the Office of Special Prosecutor but this, as is now known, did not last for long following his unexpected resignation.
It is very unfortunate that things have gone this way because the fight against corruption or corrupt practices is something that should be detested by all well-meaning Ghanaians.
Corruption has always resulted in the loss of huge sums of money to the state, a situation that makes it impossible for such diverted sums of money to be used for national development for the common good. This is very unfortunate so corruption must be discouraged at all times.
Mr Martin Amidu in his resignation letter pointed out the interference with his work on the part of government, something President Akufo-Addo described as perplexing.
However, information coming out shows that Mr Amidu made too many demands regarding office and other forms of accommodation as well as the personnel to work with and the budget he needed.
Another question that must be answered is, why he kept making demands upon demands for facilities and building to work with. In some cases, after identifying a place for renovation to be used as an office, he turned round almost immediately to refuse his own choice and rather made other new demands.
Whatever it is, it is good that he has tendered in his resignation at this time. The resignation is good because it will give the President an opportunity to appoint a new person to that office to carry on the fight against corruption.
Whoever is appointed to the office of the Special Prosecutor must be willing to work hard so that the people of this country can support him to succeed. There were others who doubted whether Mr Amidu could do the job when he was first appointed, explaining he had a very high temperament and could not easily work with others.
As a nation, we need to work against corruption so the President should keep his calm and look round to appoint a new person who is suitably qualified to occupy that position.
In the view of The Spectator, we need to make corruption as unattractive as possible in this country. This can only come about when we have a reliable or a dependable Special Prosecutor who could be willing to carry through the mandate given him under Act 959.
Dear Editor,
I write to appeal to the Metro Mass Transit Limited (MMTL) to put some of their buses on the Kasoa–Circle route to ease the challenges passengers face every day.
It might interest you to know that going to and from Kasoa is no child’s play. Sadly, it appears we have been left to our fate and at the mercy of greedy ‘trotro’ drivers who employ various tactics to extort money from passengers.
One of the means they usually employ is that at the station, they’ll tell passengers they are not going to Kasoa. However, when you join these vehicles, they take passengers to a point and start calling for new passengers to a different destination. It continues like that until they reach Kasoa. At all the new stops, they collect fresh fares from passengers.
So, it is not true that they are not going to Kasoa — the only reason they do that is to take more money from passengers.
By this behaviour, one ends up spending about GH¢20 for a journey that should cost around GH¢11, and the same amount on the return trip.
This behaviour also results in long queues at the stations at night, giving robbers and pickpockets a field day as they mingle with passengers struggling for transport and end up stealing from them.
I want to plead with the Metro Mass management to put buses on this route to reduce the inconvenience we go through after a day’s work.
The management could also devise ways to make their operations more convenient and reliable, and must consider setting specific times so that passengers would know when buses arrive and when they depart.
Kwesi Pino
Kasoa
Join our WhatsApp Channel now!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
Dear Editor,
I write with deep concern about a safety hazard and the dangers commuters are exposed to, especially those who walk in the area at night.
Along one of the busy roads in the capital — the Neoplan Station stretch of the ‘Accra Dubai’ road — lie several culverts with their metal coverings removed, leaving behind gaping holes that endanger everyone who uses the stretch.
It is a danger to commuters who walk around the area. As a regular visitor to that area, I find it very disturbing. In fact, a gaze into the drain can make one feel dizzy — it is very deep.
These are very common sights from the Railway Crossing area to the Awudome Cemetery area, bringing to the fore the activities of scrap dealers who are mostly blamed for the disappearance of the coverings.
They are dangerous and easy to miss. Children walking to school, the elderly, and even motorists risk serious injury if nothing is done.
This is not just a matter of inconvenience; it is a matter of life. We have seen too many cases where a simple oversight leads to irreversible harm.
A child could fall in. A motorcyclist could swerve and crash. A pedestrian could be injured in the dark. These are preventable tragedies, and we must treat them as urgent.
We cannot wait for disaster before we act. I urge the relevant authorities to inspect such areas, replace missing covers, and prioritise public safety. A simple fix today could save a life tomorrow. Let’s not look away — let’s fix what’s broken before it breaks someone.
Kelvin Acheampong
Dansoman
Join our WhatsApp Channel now!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
