28 February 2026
President John Dramani Mahama’s flagship anti-corruption initiative, Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL), took centre stage in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) in 2025. However, a year later, the President's rhetoric has notably softened, focusing less on the operation itself and more on the constitutional procedures required to prosecute suspected looters.
In his February 2025 address, President Mahama mentioned ORAL three times, highlighting it as a key campaign promise fulfilled. He announced that the ORAL committee, established during his transition, had received over 2,000 complaints and submitted a comprehensive report, which was forwarded to the Attorney General for action. He specifically cited the "Skytrain saga" and the "National Service ghost names scandal" as early results from the committee's findings, declaring them "only the beginning of a comprehensive response."
Fast forward to his 2026 SONA, delivered on Thursday, 27 February, and the acronym "ORAL" was conspicuously absent. While he did not mention the initiative by name, President Mahama acknowledged public impatience with the perceived slow pace of prosecutions related to the cases.
Acknowledging the frustration, the President offered a robust defence of the judicial process, striking a markedly different tone from the previous year's combative stance. He warned against repeating the "regrettable excesses" of past eras, including military regimes, where "extrajudicial means" were used to exact retribution.
"I understand that a large majority of Ghanaians are impatient to see those who abused their trust in office held to account," President Mahama said. "I may be as impatient as everyone else to see justice done, but painstaking investigations must be conducted, dockets must be prepared, charges must be filed, and the accused must have their day in court."
He emphasised his oath to uphold the 1992 Constitution, stating that a proper legal process is "necessary to protect us all against abuse or ill-treatment of citizens."
While he did not provide a new update on the over 2,000 complaints from the ORAL report, the President reiterated his government's resolve. "The Government remains resolute that corruption will not be tolerated, regardless of status or political affiliation," he stated, adding that the Attorney General's Office would use both criminal prosecution and asset recovery mechanisms to return stolen funds for development.
The President concluded his remarks on the topic by quoting the late President John Evans Atta Mills: "The wheels of Justice grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine."
Source: GhanaWeb
