Former President Jerry John Rawlings says the jailing of three persons each week for flouting sanitation offences in the capital would aid the government’s quest to make Accra the cleanest city in Africa.
According to the former President who was recently appointed a sanitation ambassador by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, he would have adopted such a radical approach to combating Accra’s sanitation menace if his new role was not ceremonial.
“You are lucky the position given to me is just a ceremonial one. If I was acting in the actual capacity, I would jail a minimum of three, four, five people a week till Accra becomes clean again,” Mr Rawlings told celebrants of the 80th Ada Asafotufiami Festival on Saturday.
“It is disheartening and very unpleasant. Those who collect rubbish come to dump them at the roadside. Let’s be a little more patriotic by arresting these persons and teach them a lesson.”
Mr Rawlings said he was confident that such drastic sanctions would serve as a deterrent to all sanitation offenders to desist from the practice.
He also urged all Ghanaian citizens to guard the environment jealously in order to prevent the spread of diseases.
Background
On August 1, 2017, the Mayor of Accra, Nii Adjei Sowah appointed former President Rawlings as a ceremonial ambassador of sanitation for Accra.
The role was in recognition of the clean environment in and around his Ridge residence in Accra.
Source: Dan Kwasi Prince // www.dailyviewgh.com / Ghana
