President John Dramani Mahama has relaunched the National Sanitation Day programme to encourage citizens and communities to clean their surroundings on the first Saturday of every month.
Speaking at the Institute of Local Government in Accra on Saturday, President Mahama said that apart from instituting a National Sanitation Day, there is a need to instil cleanliness into the nation’s children.
He also stated that “we need to create a system where people are punished for breaking sanitation bylaws.”
Lamenting the lackadaisical attitude Ghanaians have developed towards cleanliness and good sanitary practices, he noted that a more egregious practice is the penchant by commuters in vehicles to litter the nation’s highways.
He wondered, “Who is going to go along a highway picking up rubbish?”
The President also mulled over plans to restore some retrenched powers of the chiefs, amending the constitution to give them back the power to summon persons and question persons caught engaging in insanitary practices.
He said, “We must have a Sanitation Court in the chiefs’ palace.”
This declaration was received with loud cheers.
He warned the Municipal Chief Executives present that their performance in sanitation will be evaluated as part of their Key Performance Indicators, insisting that underperforming MCE will be sacked.
“Do not be surprised if you receive a sack letter from me,” he said matter-of-factly.
He warned them that they would be held responsible for the environmental outcomes of their jurisdictions.
The Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ibrahim Ahmed, said the reintroduced National Sanitation Day is a renewed social contract between the government and the citizens.
He urged the local assemblies to take charge of their jurisdictions.
He called on the citizenry to view the launch as a clarion call to stand united against sanitation indiscipline.
The Local Government Minister indicated that the observation of the National Sanitation Day will be held simultaneously across all regions and districts monthly.
He cautioned the Assemblies that there will be accountability measures instituted to track their performances in the sector.
These measures will include the establishment of a dedicated hotline to receive reports from the public, with all calls being catalogued and followed through for prompt action.
The Ministry will also maintain a national dashboard to track the performance of the various Assemblies.
And lastly, the requirement that all Assemblies submit monthly sanitation reports through the Regional Coordination Councils.
The President of the National House of Chiefs, Ogyeahohoo Yaw Gyebi II, pledged the support of chiefs across the country towards the successful implementation of the National Sanitation Day, stating that they cannot be mere bystanders in this endeavour.
He said, “As chiefs, we will not only support this in words, but in deeds”
He continued, “The success of this ceremony must not only be measured in fine speeches, but in a clean outcome and environment.”
He was confident that if every institution plays its role in the pursuit of the Clean Ghana agenda, the transformation will be telling.
