Local gov’t minister vows to crack the whip on sanitation offenders

Local Government Minister, Julius Debrah, says he will not be intimidated by any political consequences to back down on his resolve to prosecute sanitation offenders. He says the country’s ranking on countries with poor sanitation is so shameful he is determined to reverse the situation no matter the consequences. Mr. Debrah recently directed all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives to prosecute sanitation offenders and show him the proof. He said he has the backing of President John Mahama to sanction any MMDCEs who fail to respect the directive. City authorities over the years have failed to implement laws prohibiting indiscriminate littering of waste. It is, therefore, a common sight for city dwellers to drop litter as they go. According to the minister, Ghana ranks amongst the top 10 countries with the worst sanitation record. The country is competing for a place amongst countries such as war-torn Somalia, and fragile South Sudan and Chad, a situation he says should concern every Ghanaian. Mr. Debrah says political considerations will not affect his campaign to rid the cities of filth and to prosecute persons who litter in violation of the bye-laws on sanitation. He spearheaded the launch of a new campaign to clean the country’s cities. Under the campaign and starting from Saturday this week, there will be national cleaning exercises across the country every month. To galvanise broad support for the campaign, Mr. Debrah toured the country and sought the support of opinion and traditional leaders as well as key groups such as the Christian Council of Ghana, the Police, and Muslim leaders. Mr. Debrah said any DCE who wavers in enforcing the sanitation bye-laws will have serious questions to answer. 

Source:Myjoyonline.com