Professionalism should be our hallmark in December elections — Immigration Service
Professionalissm should be the hallmark of the security agencies as the country prepares for the December general election this year, the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Kwame Asuah Takyi, has said.
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He said for the peace and security of the nation to be sustained at all times, security agencies must ensure they played their roles effectively. “We all know that on December 7, we will be having our election. We should show how professional we are because we are really professionals. The whole world will be watching us.
We have done it before and we can do it for the stability of the country,” Mr Takyi added. He said this when a high powered delegation from the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), led by the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), Lieutenant General Thomas Oppong-Peprah, paid a courtesy call on him at the headquarters of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) in Accra yesterday.
Purpose
The visit of the CDS, the first of its kind, was to strengthen ties between the GIS and GAF, and also see how they can collaborate to enhance their operations, especially at the borders.
The Comptroller-General also described the meeting as an indication of a strong partnership between the agencies and the shared commitment of safeguarding the country’s borders and protection of citizens.
The relationship between the two institutions, he said, dated back to the 70s, adding that addressing security matters at the borders was paramount in maintaining the peace and stability the country was enjoying.
“Together we can leverage on our strength to enhance border security, intelligence sharing and joint operations. “Let us affirm our commitment in working together towards our common goal of ensuring the overall peace and safety of our country,” Mr Takyi said.
He congratulated the CDS on his appointment, and said the visit was going to provide the opportunity for the two institutions to showcase their capabilities, share best practices and explore areas for further collaboration.
Terrorism
Lt General Oppong-Peprah said the advent of terrorism in the sahel region was an indication that security forces had to work together to deal with threats along the borders. “I have already paid a visit to the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Prisons Service and the Ghana Fire Service. This is the fourth institution I am visiting today,” he said.
The CDS explained that the visits formed part of efforts to reaffirm the GAF’s commitment to work with other security agencies to deal with any emerging threats in the country. “I want to continue from where our predecessors left off in office. It is imperative that we work together, and I think the benefit of that can not be over emphasised,” he said.
The CDS said such collaborations would also help improve operations of the security agencies through training and joint operations that were usually conducted along the borders.
He commended the Immigration Service for its contribution towards peace and security at the borders.