<<Print>>

Mr Oti Bless, a Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development and Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a Deputy Minister of Education in-charge of Tertiary led the National Sanitation Day (NSD) exercise held in Juapong in the North Tong District.

The two deputy ministers to the surprise of the crowd carried out the exercise with enthusiasm and passion with long brooms while the crowd used cutlasses, rakes and brooms to clean the markets and the community.

They were supported by chief of Juapong, Torgbui Ahadzie and natives of the community, personnel of zoomlion and staff of the District Assembly.

The NSD is schedule for every first Saturday of every month and was instituted by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development as part of a directive of President John Dramani Mahama in October 2015.

It was introduced to control the indiscriminate dumping of refuse and littering and to also revive the spirit and culture of communal labour in the country.

The NSD was also introduced to promote public and environmental health and to encourage good sanitation practices in the country.

Mr Bless said it was clear that the NSD had come to stay and this was due to the support from the traditional authorities.

He said the exercise today had been successful in a sense that the turnout was massive and the enthusiasm exhibited by the participants.

Mr Bless said the turnout gives the indication that the exercise is not for Government but for the citizenry and confirmed that the sustenance of the programme has shown its way.

He appealed to chief and opinion leaders to support the sustenance of the exercise as they are the best organizers of their people in the various communities.

Mr Ablakwa urged the natives of the area to own the project and urged them not to wait for people to come from Accra before they participate in the exercise.

He appealed to the chiefs in the country at large to support the exercise to succeed.

Torgbui Ahadzie pledged to help control the indiscriminate dumping of refuse in the area and called on Government to support them with more tools to continue the exercise.