The Agbogbomefia of Asogli State, Togbe Afede XIV, has bemoaned the rate at which corruption has plagued Ghana as a nation.

Speaking at an Anti-Corruption Day event held at his palace on September 25, 2024, as part of the Annual Yam Festival, the chief said the nation, unfortunately, has been turned into a venture benefiting a select few.

"Our democracy, as we can all attest, has become an enterprise benefiting a few people. Ghana has become like an orphan child raped by the very people who have promised to take care of her," Togbe Afede said. “I have to express the hope that we can all join the fight against corruption,” he is quoted in a report by Myjoyonline.com.

He further decried the impact of corruption on the country, emphasizing that a good number of citizens have been denied peaceful living due to corrupt practices.

"All these things (corrupt practices) threaten our unity and our peace. We may seem to be enjoying peace, but this is very much superficial. Let's remember that peace is not defined in terms of the absence of war. Yes, we're not at war, but certainly, we don't have the kind of peace we desire in our country, the kind of peace that our founding fathers had looked forward to in our country," he stated.

On his part, former Auditor General Daniel Yaw Domelevo urged Ghanaians to elect leaders with specific traits during the upcoming December 7 general elections.

"In a few months, we are going for an election; let's look for a leader who can exemplify what I refer to as a father; let's look for father leaders and vote for them, not the others," he stated. "With the father, I start with the F, which means fairness, a fair leader. The A stands for accountability; let's look for a leader who is accountable for his actions and the resources that we've entrusted to him or her and holds his followers accountable. The T in my father stands for trustworthiness; we need a trustworthy leader. We don't need a leader who will look into our face and say the sky is clear when we can all see clouds. The H stands for honesty; the honest leader is the one who, when the going is not good, will say, 'My people, I've failed, forgive me, and I am putting measures in place to address it,' not the one who will look into your face and say, 'Don't you know of the external factors?'" he explained.

"The E in father stands for equity; there must be equity in sharing the national cake, so we need a leadership that is equitable. Finally, the leader we should be looking for in December for the R is a leader who has respect, a leader who respects not just the people but their views and contrary opinions," the former Auditor General added.

GA/KA