Chiefs must lead sanitation exercise — Collins Dauda

The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Alhaji Collins Dauda, has called on chiefs to lead the National Sanitation Day (NSD) exercise in their various traditional areas in order to help implement the aims and objectives of the exercise.

According to him, anytime the chiefs take the leadership mantle during the exercise, it receives massive endorsements from residents in that particular area.

“What has become very clear is that if this National Sanitation Day exercise is driven by our chiefs, the turnout is impressive and the enthusiasm is very high,” he said.

Alhaji Dauda was answering a question on the low patronage of the NSD exercise after it had been left in the hands of the various regional coordinating councils during the monthly exercise held at Tepa in the Ahafo Ano North District in the Ashanti Region last Saturday.

The exercise received massive participation from the residents, the students of the Tepa Senior High School, as well as the Nursing and Midwifery Training School in the area, with support from workers of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, a waste management company.

They swept, weeded and cleared drains in the area. Also in attendance were the Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Mr John Alexander Ackun, and the Omanhene and President of the Tepa Traditional Council, Nana Adusei Atwenewaa Ampem II.

Symbol of authority

Alhaji Dauda said the authority that the chiefs wielded also made it impossible for residents to sit back and watch them clean; hence, the massive participation.

He said during a similar exercise organised by the chiefs and people of Suma-Ahenkro in the Brong Ahafo Region, the turnout was impressive and the enthusiasm was very high, compared to other areas.

He, therefore, called for the full participation and support of all stakeholders in the sanitation sector to ensure that the exercise is sustained.

“It has become very clear that the government alone cannot drive this sanitation exercise. Regional coordinating councils alone cannot drive this sanitation exercise and district assemblies alone cannot drive this national sanitation day exercise; we need the combined efforts of all these major stakeholders to be able to do it,” he added.

No rush for law

Alhaji Dauda said although a law would finally be passed to support the exercise, the ministry was currently not in a rush to do so.

He added, “we are not in a rush to promulgate a law that we will have difficulty in implementing.”

He, however, said the ministry would continue to undertake the monthly clean-up exercise and use the platform to educate citizens on the need to voluntarily participate in it.

That, he said, was to ensure that when the law was finally passed, the ministry would not have difficulty in enforcing it, as well as prosecuting people.

Alhaji Dauda, therefore, advised the general public at all times to adhere to the various sanitation laws in their jurisdictions. 

Best initiative

Nana described the national exercise as one of the best initiatives that would help tackle the sanitation canker in the country.

He also suggested to the ministry to bring back the days of the dreaded sanitary inspection to help implement the sanitation laws and also prosecute those who flout the laws.

He applauded the support of the people in the area for the exercise and urged them to keep their environment clean at all times.

The Ashanti Regional Manager of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Mr Kofi Sekyere Boateng, said the company would continue working hard to ensure a clean environment at all times.

He added that with the rains setting in, it was important for citizens to avoid dumping refuse in open drains, as that could easily cause floods and create breeding grounds for insects that could cause diseases.