From: Stephen A. Quaye, Toronto-Canada.

When the news broke out in the Ghanaian media that, certain ministers of state were denied visas to travel to the United States of America [U.S.A], in a couple of weeks ago, many were those who lambasted the officials at the U.S. embassy describing it as sabotage.
There was also suspicion that because the U.S based oil drilling companies were not handed the job to drill oil in the country’s oil reserve the U.S. have decided to use all means to sabotage the government therefore it was not surprise to observe the visa denials of government officials wishing to travel to America.
All sorts of mischievous reasons were given by the public as they tried to blame the U.S. government representative resident in Ghana who oversees to the issuance of visas to people who want to enter their country for whatever reasons and what time.
Because it was a big shame to the country and any ordinary citizenry who is as patriotic as me to be reminded of the visa denials of the government officials tried not to pass any comment but wait until the reason why they were denied the visas were issued by the authorities.
Commentators were very blind of the fact that the country in question had suffered a lot of insecurities resulting in terrorists invading the country and causing many disasters to the people and that pain still live with them.
Not quite long ago, there was this report that a Nigerian managed to pass through Ghana and in a transit from Holland to the U.S. nearly blew an airline off which could have caused another painful disaster to the country.
With these examples given do you expect the country to open its borders ajar for anybody to enter without strict scrutiny? Many were those who thought that because the president of the United State of America, Mr. Barack Obama, is from African decent was going relax the immigration laws for people from Africa to enter into U.S. easily.
But if one is aware of the new U.S. immigration reform that is going on now he will not just wake up one day and lambast the country’s officials for denying government officials from another country visas to enter the country.
Then followed the reports in the Ghanaian Journal about the visa fraud in Ghana Embassy in Washington U.S. which gave a little clue that, really the U.S. immigration officials at its embassy knew what they were doing and why?
Trust me there is no country in this world that will deny visas to other foreign nationals who want to enter their country and follow due processes in acquiring visas. The more the security keeps cleaning the system the more you find fraudsters coming out with more scientific strategies to outwit the immigration officers.
Let us face the fact, there has been series of occasions where certain persons dying to go to overseas have employed visa contractors to wok tooth and nail to get them visas to enter the country of their choice be it Germany, Italy, Holland, America, London or Canada.
The immigration officials of these foreign destinations that Ghanaians dire to enter are aware of some of the tricks certain persons apply such as using other persons passports and permit cards to enter the country. Using marriage of convenience to enter the country and many more but the situation has become worse in recent times that securities at various entries have been tightened.
A case in point was a pastor of a church who tried to outsmart immigration officials of a country by using his wife’s documents to cover his sister as the suppose wife to travel to abroad. Right at the airport the lady was arrested and detained. Investigations lead to the arrest of the pastor and both of them were deported from that foreign country.
Though it is sad the way Ghanaian government officials are denied visas to travel at least they have come out with the simple order “follow due process” in acquiring immigration documents before travelling.
If the president is aware of what is going on then, he must take up the challenge to fight the canker because if he leaves it just like that for the fraudsters to continue manipulating the system, the U.S. can not help but deny him the president too a visa to travel one day and it would be a big embarrassment to the nation as a whole.
Mr. President, please do not wait for it happen. Take action now or else, America will clip your wings as well to prevent you too to enter their country.
End.