Deception, Lies And Vilification Will All Succumb To Truth

“Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight” - Proverbs 12:22; “There is no God beyond Truth” – Mahatma Gandhi. With these two quotes, I start my piece.

My attention has been drawn to a certain campaign by individuals in the Local Government Service aimed at painting me as disrespectful and having no regard for authority. All this, in my little mind, is aimed at discrediting me. Though not surprised, I feel strongly that these things should not go unanswered hence this write up.

But before I proceed to touch on some of the issues, I wish to make the following points:

1. No matter the number of people standing behind lies, truth, even with one person, will always triumph. And if one believes you are on the right course, you don’t need to court for sympathy or support from other people by “picking and choosing” or spewing lies about another. It will not help your course.
2. I want to emphasise a point I made in one of my articles which can be found at https://www.modernghana.com/news/648755/50/open-letter-to-my-head-of-service.html. Respect is earned and so I strive to earn the respect of others. I don’t respect people necessarily because they are “Big men or Big women” in society. Respect, I have also learnt is reciprocal. The truth is I have lost respect for certain individuals in the Local Government Service because they sought to insult me and treated me with disdain.

Following from the above I now will endeavour to touch on the issues that have come to my attention and are being wickedly twisted to suit someone’s parochial interest.

DISRESPECT AND NO REGARD FOR AUTHORITY

I wish to state emphatically that this is not in my nature. I have worked for roughly seven (7) years in the Local Government Service. My duty stations have been Karaga District Assembly (2008 - 20011), the then Zabzugu/Tatale District Assembly (2011 - 2012) and currently Kumbungu District Assembly (2012 - Date). During this time, I have worked with Six (6) District Chief Executives (DCEs), Five (5) of whom are still alive and Eight (8) District Coordinating Directors (DCDs) all still in active service except one who retired two years ago. I want anybody who doubts me to contact any of the Districts or the DCDs or DCEs I have worked with and inquire about me with regard to the above allegations.

At the Regional Level, I have had the pleasure to work and officially interact with all the Regional Ministers, Deputy Regional Ministers and Regional Coordinating Directors of the Northern Regional Coordinating Council (RCDs) since April 2010. The current Chief Director of the local Government Service is one of two RCDs I have worked under in the Northern Region. Before you join in vilifying me with regards to the above, just talk to anyone of them.

I want to end on this one by saying that in a battle weapons are fashioned to match your enemy and that anytime you hear these untruths, question the person telling you how it all started.

SELF RECOGNITION OR IS IT SEEKING FAVOURS?

There is currently a message which is circulating among the friends and close acquaintances of the Head of Local Government Service. This message which I sent to him was meant to save him from further problems because then I still saw him as a friend. But rather surprisingly, the Head of Service is using it as one of his weapons against me claiming I want to seek favours from the President and that I am eyeing his job.

I am sure this is also one of the points about disrespect and disregard for authority. Let me be emphatic here, I am not ready for any political appointments yet and have never contemplated taking any yet. When the time comes, I am going to fight on my own right to get one.

Our elders say the fly that refuses to listen to wise counsel will follow the corpse into the grave. This is where we are now. I am clear in my mind on certain things and they will surely happen because truth is truth and will always stand tall.

Another of such weapon is a document I forwarded to the Head of Service titled “A Novelty in the Local Government Service”. In that meeting which was purposely organised to intimidate me, I saw copies of it with staff of LGSS who were in that meeting. I understand this is being misconstrued to mean I was seeking favours from him to project myself. Pathetic!

Canon five of the code of conduct for the Local Government Service is on CREATIVITY AND INNOVATIVENESS and a portion of it says “The officers and staff shall employ their skills and imaginations in producing new ways of dealing with issues confronting the Service to add value to the Service’s relationships.” This is what a document produced under his watch and happily signed off by him says. This is the spirit in which I produced that document, requested for his email and forwarded the document to him. So after realising that there are problems and unnecessary tension in the system, I put forward an idea for a conference so that actors in the service can come together and iron out some issues in the service and I believe I have great and workable ideas for the system and I ask to speak at the function, what crime have I committed? It was for the Head of Service to say YES or No and there was no way I could force him to accept it. So what is this falsehood being spread around about?

I am sure that complains of me going personal would come but I sometimes have no option but to go personal. And people must bear with me. The reasons are not farfetched. It is because the Head of Service instead of always looking at the issues, always decides to go it personal with me. I will give you examples. When you are at a meeting with a group and someone points at you and says “When you are doing something don’t think everybody is for you”; that is personal. He goes ahead to read a message you sent to your platform members which reads “I heard ...” and attributes it to you instead of seeing it as a reported speech; that is personal. Even this campaign of lies which I find reason to respond to today is personal. When you lead a group for a common cause and someone decides to single you out, invite you to his office and later decides that he will transfer you to shut you up; that is personal and the list goes on and on!

Posterity will definitely judge us and I will like to end by saying that this is just to set some records straight. I want to assure all that I am still focus and these things can never distract me. If intimidation and victimisation are failing to distract me, how can lies do so?

With this prayer from Psalm 109:1 – 3, I end my piece “I praise you, God! Don’t be silent. Destructive and deceitful lies are told about me, and hateful things are said for no reason”

I shall surely be back!

Charles Ayuune Akurugu

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