Chairman of the National Commission for Civic Education, Josephine Nkrumah has bemoaned pressures from people suggesting to her to be corrupt.
According to her, the Ghanaian notion that leaders must be overnight ‘gods and instant problem solvers’ puts pressure on heads of institutions to amass wealth to live up to societal standards.
“People suggest to me to be corrupt, they tell me, don’t just sit in that office and return the same” she said.
Expressing her frustration, the NCCE Chairperson said often time leaders become corrupt because of the high standards and expectation society places on them.
She said the attitude of leaders towards national development and the amassing of wealth to enrich themselves is the true reflection of society and its values.
“We are failing the system and our leaders are a reflection of us, we put the ideas of amassing wealth into their heads,” she bemoaned.
In an interview monitored by The Ghana Report, Miss Nkrumah said, to get the country’s democracy to run properly there is the need for a systemic repair and a general change in national values and morals.
“Why is it okay for members of parliaments and political leaders elsewhere to board buses, some use bicycle to work and it is okay, nobody complains or cares about it but why is it that, that cannot be repeated here, because of societal standards for political heads” she said
Assessing Ghana’s practice of democracy since 1992, the NCCE boss said the system needs a complete overhaul.