General News of Thursday, 2 January 2020

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Daniel Batidam is dead

Late Daniel Batidam Late Daniel Batidam

Daniel Batidam, former anti-corruption campaigner and advisor on governance under the erstwhile John Mahama administration is dead, GhanaWeb can confirm.

His demise occurred in the early hours of January 1, 2020, at Mampong in the Eastern Region where he has been for some time now.

A close source to the family who confirmed his demise to GhanaWeb indicated that Mr Batidam was suffering from cancer and was sent to a health facility at Mampong for treatment. His body has been sent to the 37 Military Hospital Morgue.

The late Batidam as part of his public appointment was to represent Ghana on the AU Advisory Board on Corruption but had to resign citing deep-seated corruption, lack of accountability among others at the secretariat of the board and at the AU Commission for his action.

“After witnessing several instances and degrees of bad governance, including the abuse of trusted power, corruption, lack of probity, accountability, transparency, and integrity at the secretariat of the African Union Board of Corruption and some departments of the AU Commission itself for over a period of three years now, while all efforts at seeking redress have yielded no results, I have decided on grounds of principle that enough is enough,” the anti-corruption activist’s resignation letter, which was to be transmitted to the Chair of AU Commission, Paul Kagame, read in part.

Mr Batidam when he was appointed an advisor to the former president stated that most of his friends severed ties with him.

“If you know the bashing, I got…I even lost some friends including journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, but I’ve reconciled with him,” he stated in an interview with Joy FM.

Before his appointment, he was at the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), an anti-corruption body.

The late Daniel Batidam left behind a wife, Shantel Batidam.

May his soul Rest in Peace.