President Mahama delivered the State of the Nation Address on Friday, February 27, 2026
The Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) anti-corruption initiative was one of the major campaign promises of President John Dramani Mahama, aimed at recovering all monies stolen from the state by political appointees.
In his first State of the Nation Address, President Mahama mentioned ORAL three times, noting the number of corruption-related cases the ORAL committee has submitted to him, which he subsequently forwarded to his Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dr Dominic Akuritinga Ayine.
“I also pledged to fight corruption head-on by implementing Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL). In that regard, Mr Speaker, one of the first committees I established, even before my investiture as President, was to establish the ORAL committee on the sidelines of the transition committee.
“It is instructive to announce that the committee received over two thousand (2,000) complaints and has since submitted a comprehensive report. The report has been handed over to the Attorney General for further review, thorough investigation, and eventual prosecution.
“The recent arrests related to the unwarranted payment of Two Million US Dollars in the Skytrain saga and the National Service ghost names scandal mark only the beginning of a comprehensive response based on the ORAL Committee’s findings,” the President said in his 2025 SONA.
About a year down the line, even though there are a number of prosecutions on ORAL cases ongoing, including the National Service scandal, the Adu Bohen NSB case and the Sky Train case, the President appears to be taking a softer tone on the initiative.
President Mahama, in his 2026 SONA, did not even mention ORAL, even though he hinted at a section of Ghanaians being disappointed by the ‘slow pace’ of the initiative.
Mahama assured that the people who have stolen from the state will be brought to book, insisting that the right processes must be followed in that quest.
He warned against rushed proceedings, where actions might lead to wrongful conviction, as was seen in past administrations.
Below are his exact words:
Mr Speaker, the Government remains resolute that corruption will not be tolerated, regardless of status or political affiliation. The Attorney General’s Office will continue to use both criminal prosecution and non-conviction-based asset recovery mechanisms to ensure that stolen public resources are returned for national development.
I understand that a large majority of Ghanaians are impatient to see those who abused their trust in office held to account.
There were periods when, under military regimes and unconstitutional governments,
extrajudicial means could be used to exact retribution against persons perceived as corrupt or who had abused the public trust. This may have appeared as swift justice, but many regrettable
excesses were recorded.
In 1992, we overwhelmingly adopted the 1992 Constitution to accept governance by the rule of law. On 7th January 2025, I swore before the people of Ghana to uphold the 1992 Constitution.
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, including appealing even the smallest points of law to higher courts.
This process is necessary to protect us all against abuse or ill-treatment of citizens and to ensure that only those guilty of offences against the state are punished.
As President Mills of blessed memory said, “The wheels of Justice grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine.”
FULL TEXT: The 2026 State of the Nation Address
BAI
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