Security personnel urged to operate in the nation's interest

Elubo (W/R), Aug 18, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor on Tuesday called on security personnel at the country's entry points to operate in the best interest of the nation.
"The image of security personnel at the entry points is bad,'' he said when addressing personnel of Customs Excise and Preventive Service and the Immigration Service at the Elubo Border Post on the second of his five-day official visit to the Western Region.
He told them to ensure that the smuggling of small arms and infiltration of undesirable people into the country was curbed. The President said West Africa had been plagued with "a wild fire"
of destabilisation in neighbouring countries and security personnel must endeavour to contain the situation as vanguards of the country. President Kufuor said CEPS was important to the government as far as revenue was concerned and their indulgence in deals at the entry points at the expense of the nation were the worse they could do against the nation.
"You are all qualified and look responsible. You should therefore live up to the oath you have taken and account properly to the nation."
President Kufuor said while ECOWAS was working towards the introduction of the ECOWAS passport for the sub-region, immigration officers should check the appropriate documents of foreigners for peaceful and happy relations with neighbouring countries. He said the entry points had become notorious for delays and waste of time in processing documents for foreigners.
The President assured them that the government was considering the problems of offices and residential accommodation as well as provision of equipment for their effective performance.
Mr Daniel Anthony Kofi Nanor, Chief Collector of CEPS, said the Service would put in more effort to bring more revenue to the nation. However, he said, their main problems were office and residential accommodation, communication gadgets and means of transport to move into the hinterland.
Mr Patrick M. Korley, Controller of Immigration at Elubo, said the staff needed patrol boats to operate along the rivers in the area and fence around the border area.
Addressing a durbar of the chief and people of Elubo later, President Kufuor called for unity and peace among the people. He urged the Traditional Council and the Jomoro District Assembly to cooperate to rehabilitate the roads in the town and develop the Elubo market.
President Kufuor also addressed durbars at Enchi, Dadieso, in the Aowin-Suaman District and Sefwi-Akontombra, where an enthusiastic crowd met him. Inhabitants of villages along the routes also cheered President.
They commended the government for the mass cocoa spraying exercise that had enabled the cocoa farmers to increase their yield and to improvement in their living standards.
President Kufuor said efforts would be made to provide an all weather road in the area because of the heavy rainfall pattern in the area.