Good Call from Frema Osei Opare

THE PUBLISHER is exceptionally delighted at the directive from the Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei Opare on the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in Accra to undertake a clean-up exercise today Friday, as part of the vision to make the Accra the cleanest in Africa.

Such a directive coming from the Chief of Staff at the Presidency, is both symbolic and awakening. It is a strong and clear statement that government is committed to the campaign against filth.

It sends a very positive message that all hands must be on deck and if the heads of the MDAs themselves are out there personally cleaning the environment, they would have no choice but to take our laws and polices of sanitation a bit more seriously.

It sets a positive example to city dwellers and residents the campaign to keep the city clean is one that deserves the direct commitment and participation of everyone and not one that should be left to only the known waste management agencies.

Accra was not planned as a dirty city. Accra would not have been a dirty city if the people in it were not dirty.

If the same people get a transformation of mind and attitude and reorient their minds to live and work inn clean environments, Accra would be a clean city overnight.

But sadly, the mindset is the problem.

People simply do not seem to appreciate why they should not litter the environment.

Sadly, over the last two or three decades city authorities have slept on implementing Waste Management bye-laws

In the absence of the appropriate mindset towards sanitation and in the absence of punishment for persons who flout sanitation laws, Accra started to suffer an unrestrained and free for all environmental pollution.

The end results have been catastrophic.

Flooding of the towns and cities due to choked drains, outbreak of all sorts of diseases, and a sorry sight of heaps of waste all across the streets.

Yet no one seems to care.

Fortunately, the call from the directive from Frema Osei Opare,  has coincided with news reports that the Ablekuma Central District Sanitation and Motor Magistrate Court, has prosecuted nine institutions: the Korle Bu Branch of the Ghana Private Transport Union (GPRTU), Abbosey Okai branch of Ghana Oil (GOIL), Agricultural Development Bank (ADB), Samir Engineering Company, Prudential Bank, Access Bank and the Yellow City Hotel, all for  contravening Sections the AMA Waste Management bye-laws.

At long last the right signals are being sent from government and we can only hope and pray the new motivation does not die down.