Ghanaian legal scholar Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare, popularly known as Kwaku Azar, has voiced his disagreement with the plan to introduce a National Vulture Awards.
Earlier in March 2025, Speaker Alban Bagbin announced the launch of the National Vulture Award, which aims to name and shame individuals considered to have the lowest levels of integrity.
“We shall name and shame those we consider as persons of low integrity. Therefore, apart from the National Integrity Award that will be given to men and women of integrity, there will also be what is termed the Vulture Award, which will be bestowed upon individuals considered to have the lowest levels of integrity in the country,” the Speaker stated.
The move was reiterated on Monday, June 9, as a scheme designed to bestow symbolic dishonour on those deemed the most morally bankrupt and perverse in public service.
However, while the initiative may seem good on the surface, Prof. Azar warned that it risks reducing the punishment for corruption to mere public ridicule.
“On the surface, this sounds like an audacious anti-corruption initiative. After all, we live in a republic where corruption flourishes in broad daylight, and consequences rarely follow. Public ridicule could, perhaps, succeed where prosecution has failed.
“Corruption is not merely a moral failing; it is a criminal offense. Turning it into an annual award show risks trivializing its devastating impact,” he argued.
While some public officials boldly enrich themselves, the legal scholar said roads are left unbuilt, schools lack roofs, and lives are lost in hospitals.
In his view, such realities should not be reduced to a symbolic slap on the wrist in front of cameras.
“The Vulture Awards may create viral moments, but will they bring convictions, recover the loot, or strengthen institutions? In my view, shame must follow legal process, not replace it,” he added.
