Sissala West Member of Parliament (MP), Hon. Mohammed Adams Sakparu, has declared his full support for the firm anti-corruption stance being executed under President John Dramani Mahama’s administration, calling for swift and uncompromising action against all individuals implicated in state-related theft, regardless of their political affiliation.
According to him, the fight against corruption must go beyond public declarations and include decisive actions that send a strong message to both appointees and the general public. Hon. Sakparu was unequivocal about his position on the criticisms on the nature of recent state arrests.
“I think that is the right way if we want to fight corruption. If you sit and you invite them to come at their own time – to come with their lawyers, then it is like we are trying to beautify and dignify the act of corruption. Corruption is a threat to us all”
Hon. Mohammed Adams Sakparu, MP For Sissala West
He argued that the state should not afford suspected corrupt officials a courteous process that contradicts how the justice system treats ordinary citizens.
“We’ve seen people being sentenced to ten years imprisonment because the person has stolen a goat or a sheep. We are talking about millions of cedis – which can actually construct the road from Wa to Tumu”
Hon. Mohammed Adams Sakparu, MP For Sissala West
Hon. Sakparu insisted that just as ordinary theft cases are handled with urgency and severity, public office holders suspected of embezzlement or abuse of office must be treated with equal, if not greater, seriousness. “Such people are enemies to our progress,” he declared.
Citing real-life implications of corruption, Hon. Sakparu drew attention to the deteriorating road network between Upper West and Upper East, describing the condition as a metaphor for neglect rooted in the misuse of state funds.
“You’re going to end up spending almost 3 hours on a road that you’re supposed to drive on for an hour and 30 minutes from Wa to Tumu. And from time immemorial that road has never seen any improvement. Ever since I was born, it has always been like that. In fact, we have never seen a tarred road”
Hon. Mohammed Adams Sakparu, MP For Sissala West
He lamented the fact that communities like his have remained deprived of basic infrastructure, and continue to suffer certain afflictions, not due to lack of resources, but because funds have repeatedly been diverted by corrupt officials.
“We are talking about millions of cedis – which can actually construct the road,” he added, further explaining how bad the road network becomes during the rainy season, and the level of wickedness it must take for government officials to prioritise personal gain over the collective good.
“So if we have people who are occupying public office, people who are supposed to manage our resources in a manner that gives us value for money, and yet they allegedly engage in acts that rather negatively affect everyone – I think that we shouldn’t handle them with any dignity”
Hon. Mohammed Adams Sakparu, MP For Sissala West
Presidential Warning Not Enough
Though Hon. Sakparu acknowledged President Mahama’s recent warning to heads of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) against corruption, he was quick to emphasise that rhetoric alone would not curb misconduct.
“It is not enough. The former president Nana Akufo-Addo did the same – but today, what are we seeing,” he said pointedly, recalling former President Akufo-Addo’s famous inauguration remarks that officials seeking wealth in his government should go to the private sector.
Hon. Sakparu questioned the effectiveness of such statements. “Look at what most of them have been accused of,” he added, citing the wave of anti-corruption arrests and ongoing investigations now.
For the Sissala West MP, the visible nature of the recent arrests is not political vendetta but a critical form of deterrence. He stressed that the point is not the theatrics of arrest, but the message it sends to current and future office holders.
“If somebody can be arrested and transferred from Kumasi to the CID headquarters because he’s keeping state vehicles… You should know that you, the person currently occupying the same position now, will probably have it worse than that if you engage in the same practices”
Hon. Mohammed Adams Sakparu, MP For Sissala West
He maintained that apart from the caution President Mahama has given all appointees in his government, the ongoing rambo-style arrests will serve as an additional and more severe warning to those in office to keep their hands clean throughout their tenure.
According to Hon. Sakparu, it is this real and credible threat of accountability that will create the most effective resistance to corrupt behaviour.
In a political climate where accusations of selective justice and political persecution often cloud anti-corruption efforts, Hon. Sakparu’s comments underline a growing call for an even-handed approach to accountability.
His stance reinforces the message that the era of leniency for politically connected individuals may be nearing its end – and that the Mahama government must sustain this momentum, in a non-partisan manner, if it is to deliver on its promise of clean governance.
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