Ghana: President Mills' office must wake up (editorial) - fighting the drug menance in the country

May 30th, 2009

 

 

Accra (Ghana) - Leaders of Yahuda Security, an alleged British security company based in London, recently met with President Mills to apparently sell their company and what they could do to help fight against the drug menace in Ghana.

Some few days after this meeting with the President, the UK branch of the Convention People's Party (CPP), after conducting a search on Yahuda came out with a report that the company was not a credible one, since it was formed two days to their meeting with President Mills.

Government officials reacting to the story said President Mills did not strike any deal with the company and that it was just a courtesy call on him by leaders of Yahuda. Though, as admitted by the government, no deal was struck with the supposed security firm, The Chronicle thinks the exposure by the CPP UK branch should be a warning to those who handle the daily routines of the President.

An irreparable damage would have been unleashed on the presidency and people of this country, if the government had gone ahead to sign any agreement with the company to assist us fight against drug trafficking. It is increasingly becoming clear that some of these phoney companies rush into the country to seek audience with our Presidents, and use that as a basis to confirm to the outside world that they are indeed credible.

We are, therefore, calling on the personal Secretary to the President and all those who work on his daily routine, to crosscheck the background of people who book appointments to see the President, especially the foreign ones, to ascertain whether they are genuine business people in the field they are claiming to be experts in. With the help of the internet, this background check can easily be done. The Chronicle feels that if this is done, it would help to save the country from any future embarrassment.

There is no way a Ghanaian company that claims to have expertise in oil drilling and wants to seek audience with the US President would be allowed to do so, without his security or office checking to ascertain whether the said Ghanaian company indeed has the expertise in the oil industry. We must begin to learn from the developed countries so that criminals would not take advantage of our vulnerability to soil our hard won reputation.

Surely, if the office of the President had done their homework well, these Yahuda officials would not have come near the Castle, let alone call on the President. It is our hope that President Mills himself would take personal interest in this issue and to ensure that only those who mean genuine business call on him.

source.Ghanaian Chronicle (Ghana)