The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mubarak, has announced new stringent measures governing the use of sirens on government vehicles, stating that not all political appointees will be permitted to use them.

Speaking on the Joy FM Super Morning Show on Tuesday, June 23, he explained that the decision forms part of broader efforts to improve road safety and regulate the privileges attached to officialdom.

He said the directive, issued through the Office of the President, restricts the installation of sirens unless a clear justification is provided and approved by the president.

According to the Minister, President John Dramani Mahama has instructed that no sirens should be granted to ministers or appointees unless it is proven that such individuals genuinely require them for official duties.

"The president has firmly said anyone within the government who is not authorised to use it, and he or she puts it when you arrest such persons, don't leave it, furnish me with their names," he said the president ordered him to do.

In line with the new framework, the Minister disclosed that an application portal has been opened for individuals seeking permission to use sirens on their official vehicles. All requests, he noted, will be subject to presidential scrutiny and approval.

"The president has asked, including my colleague ministers, you have to apply to the interior minister, and I will have to forward to his office for us to say this person needs a motor rider to lead him or her and this other person, no. So even my own colleagues who are ministers have applied, and I am processing it for the office of the president to decide," he noted.

The policy shift, the minister says, is aimed at restoring discipline, curbing misuse of privileges, and reinforcing public confidence in the equitable use of state resources, particularly on the country’s roads.