Minister advocates law to compel participation in Sanitation Day
The Deputy Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mr Isaac Nii Djanmah Vanderpuije, has said the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) would advocate a law to ensure that the National Sanitation Day (NSD) programme achieved the full participation of all.
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Moved by the lackadaisical attitude shown by residents of Tema during the recent NSD exercise on October 3, he said such law would compel Ghanaians to actively participate in the monthly clean-up exercise.
"The RCC and the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) will take up the issue and ensure that in the near future, the National Sanitation Day is institutionalised so that on this day, nobody operates a shop, goes to the market or engages in trading during the duration of the exercise," Mr Vanderpuiye said.
The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) in 2014 introduced the clean-up exercise, which comes off on the first Saturday of every month to inculcate in Ghanaians the habit of ensuring a clean environment at all times.
Mr Vanderpuije stated that during the rounds of a team from the RCC, it was noticed that people were not so much involved, adding that it was about time serious attention was given to calls to make cleaning on the day compulsory so that anyone who refused to attend the exercise, once it was made compulsory, would face the full rigour of the law.
Unresponsive residents
Most residents of Tema appeared unresponsive to the call to clean their immediate environment. Some of them sat and stood idle while members of the sanitation task force mainly made up of staff of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA), the Ghana Navy, Ghana Police Service and the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) personnel led the clean-up exercise.
This month’s exercise in the Greater Accra Region, which was focused on Tema, was led by the Greater Accra RCC, led by Mr Vanderpuije, the Tema Mantse, Nii Adjei Krakue and the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) for Tema, Mr Isaac Ashia Odamtten.
Also participating in the exercise were staff of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, as part of the planned activities towards the Homogenous Festival, (Homofest 2015), a grand festival climaxing the Homowo celebration of the Ga Dangme people scheduled for next weekend.
Donation of sanitation tools
The Deputy Regional Minister later handed over tools including 1,000 bins, 20 shovels, 50 long brooms, 40 rakes, wellington boots and branded T-Shirts and 10 spades donated by Fan Milk Ghana Limited to the TMA towards the 11th NSD.
The Tema Mantse, Nii Adjei Kraku II, called on the public not to see the National Sanitation Day exercise as a political activity, but rather as a major intervention by the government to address the sanitation challenges confronting the people.
He, therefore, appealed to residents in the Tema metropolis to put aside politics and participate effectively to achieve the ultimate objective of ridding the cities, towns and villages of filth to promote good health and well-being of the populace.
For his part, Mr Odamtten pledged the assembly's unflinching commitment to help sustain the exercise and the participation of residents regularly.