Amid swirling speculations and rising concerns, President-elect John Dramani Mahama has taken a step to address what he described as “confusion” surrounding the newly announced Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) initiative.
“People are confused,” he said candidly, pointing out how the initiative has been misinterpreted by sections of the public.
“We are receiving a lot of information on things that are going wrong—corruption scandals and all that. Some send me texts, some call me, others pass through other people.”
The public’s expectations for ORAL seem to have outpaced its actual purpose. Mahama was quick to set the record straight: ORAL is not an investigative body poised to dig into alleged corruption cases.
Instead, it is a preparatory committee tasked with gathering and organizing evidence of corruption to pass on to established institutions mandated to handle such matters.
“ORAL is not going to be investigating people,” he clarified. “It is going to gather evidence and pass it on to the institutions that are supposed to do that kind of work.”
At the heart of Mahama’s clarification is a call for partnership. The fight against corruption, he emphasized, is a collective effort requiring citizens to step forward with credible evidence.
ORAL, in his vision, is a focal point—a channel where fragmented reports and allegations can converge to ensure they do not disappear into the ether.
The President-elect also dismissed concerns over the financial implications of the initiative. “The team is not expecting any payment; there is no budget associated with it,” he stated firmly, adding that ORAL is powered by a civic-minded spirit rather than financial allocations.
