By Manasseh Azure Awuni
Dear Brigadier General Forster Okae-Yeboah,
The Government Spokesperson and Minister for Information, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has announced that you have been tasked to “lead an uncompromising, robust, and all-action Flood Mitigation Exercise.”
I wish I could say congratulations, but knowing the enormity of the problem you’re to confront, I can only wish you well. As the Director General in charge of Joint Operations of the Ghana Armed Forces, I’m convinced you will be equal to the task.
As you and your team begin work, permit me to make a few suggestions.
1. Announce hotlines through which people can report constructions and major infractions that have blocked waterways and are causing havoc. You cannot know everything, but the people who have bottled up these concerns can call your attention to the locations.
2. Look out for people within your team who would want to use this operation to make money. I’ve heard a lot about the anti-galamsey operations spearheaded by soldiers. It’s really dirty. Let this one be different.
3. Let the “uncompromising” in the Minister’s word be what it denotes, not as it connotes in Ghana. Uncompromising should be uncompromising, not uncompromising on the downtrodden and selective on the rich and powerful.
4. Finally, at the end of the exercise, there should be a long list of violators facing prosecution. Prominent on this list should be the government officials who granted permits to people to build on unapproved lands.
Until corrupt government officials realise that their actions have consequences for them, they will continue to take money and abet the criminal indiscipline that is costing lives and property in this country.
So, the team should have the police and the right prosecutorial bodies on hand to check the legal boxes and effect legal arrests and detentions.
Once again, I wish you well.
Yours sincerely,
Manasseh Azure Awuni.
(A boy who once wished to be a soldier and still admires the military from afar.)
Dear followers, you may add your suggestions or blow the whistle on areas you think the task force should focus on.
Source: newsthemegh.com