At long last the ‘Operation Clean Your Frontage’ programme has taken off. It took backbreaking planning to reach this highpoint.
Those who saw the aftermath of yesterday’s exercise at Circle could not ignore the new-look spotted by the location.
The bus stops and streets were rid of the recklessly parked commuter vehicles; hawkers who created such a nuisance as they competed for space with motorists in previous times had moved out of the streets and we hope for good.
The question which many who relished the new-look spectacle asked was whether the authorities would be able to maintain the momentum.
It is a good observation but given the pains and hindsight lessons by managers of the project with the regional minister leading the charge there appears to be something different happening this time around. This makes us hopeful that something new is taking place which is unlike the previous attempts which eventually went cold.
The response team personnel who would soon pass out from training when managed properly especially with efficient supervision would be able to make a mammoth difference.
Permanently deploying these personnel to places notorious for the level of indiscipline such as the Circle area and others would ensure the consistency required to move the exercise forward.
The team should include in their terms of reference the stoppage of littering in the streets, parking at unauthorised places and street hawking.
The level of indiscipline is so high in Accra that we do not expect the campaign to be smooth. This was palpably exhibited yesterday when someone hurled a stone at an earth moving equipment deployed for the exercise and damaging the windscreen in the event.
Resistance would be recorded in some places we can bet because for many of those resisting the positive change selling in the streets and erecting structures at unauthorised places is normal having been tolerated for many years.
We are pleased, however, that the regional minister, prior to the D-Day yesterday, engaged with various stakeholders among them queen mothers to sensitise them about what the agenda entails.
At this stage of the agenda, the implementation, it is our hope that all will be on board so that our national capital will shed the filthy look it has worn for many years now.
Let us all avoid the partisan touch we are used to brining on board exercises of this nature in our discourses. Ridding Accra of filth is an apolitical venture the success of which concerns all regardless of their political affiliations.
The regional minister deserves commendation for steering away from the inappropriate partisan path since mooting the ‘Clean Your Frontage’ concept. He met with MPs in the Greater Accra Region from both sides of the aisle to seek their support which he got.
Let us therefore all join hands in making the project a success as the days elapse. Accra can be as clean as Kigali.