President Mahama Advocates Regular Clean-Up Exercises

President John Dramani Mahama on Saturday said Government would institute regular clean-up campaigns to instill the spirit of cleanliness and health consciousness in Ghanaians. He said the 21st century Ghana, which is establishing herself as a middle income country, should not be experiencing preventable and hygiene related diseases such as cholera. President Mahama said this when he led a Government-delegation to participate in a clean-up exercise at Akoto Lante and Bukom in the Odododiodoo Constituency of the Accra Metropolis. He also participated in a similar exercise at Nima and visited the La General Hospital and the LEKMA Hospital in Teshie to find out the effects of the cholera on the people. In President Mahama's delegation were Mr Prosper Douglas Bani, Chief of Staff, Mr Julius Debrah, Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo, Greater Accra Regional Minister, Dr Alfred Oko Vanderpuije, Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, and Nii Lante Vanderpuije, Deputy Minister for Local Government and Rural Development. President Mahama said the spirit of cleanliness that existed in the revolutionary days were waning and it was, therefore, necessary to revive that spirit by whipping up the enthusiasm of people in communities with such exercises. He said apart from adults, school children and minors should not be charged for using the public toilets, adding that government would, in the next coming years, encourage the construction of household toilets rather than public toilets. President Mahama advised the public to quickly send people with the symptoms of cholera such as vomiting and passing watery stool to health facilities to avoid more casualties as such delays had claimed numerous lives within the metropolis. On sporting activities in Bukom, President Mahama promised to construct a modern boxing gym there to harness boxing talents and win more laurels at the international levels. He said although Bukom had produced numerous boxing talents in the past, inadequate support had stifled their smooth and orderly progress and, therefore, the construction of the gym would boost their morale. The President called on the Ministry of Youth and Sports to liaise with the chiefs of the area to acquire land for the project. At the La General and LEKMA hospitals, President Mahama commended the staff for their efforts at containing the numerous admissions on cholera since the outbreak of the disease in parts of Accra. President Mahama advised the people at Nima to maintain high level of hygiene to avoid sanitation and filth related diseases. Dr Van Otoo, Greater Accra Regional Director of Health Services, said the disease had impacted negatively on minors and women and appealed to government to support them to contain the disease. She attributed the outbreak of the disease to rampant buying of cooked food instead of cooking it in the house and encouraged parents to endeavour to cook for their families. Nii Lante Vanderpuije, also the Member of Parliament for Odododiodoo, announced that they would institute a weekly clean-up competition to award winners. Zoomlion Group of Companies presented the people with wheel barrows, hand gloves, Wellington boots, rakes and brooms and other protective gear to engage in the exercise. Surprisingly, while the Government delegation and Zoomlion workers were engaged in the exercise, some of the residents stood along the roads and looked-on while others opened their shops and were selling their wares. Most of the residents after struggling to acquire some of the protective gear ran into their rooms to keep the items.